The Guyana Groove

Sunday, May 30, 2010

If every country had a Freddie Kissoon the world would be a better place

(Letter to the Kaieteur News Editor 05/30/10)

Dear Editor,

Of all the possible things a person can throw on another person, some miscreant chose to throw feces on Sweet and Sensitive Freddie Kissoon.

This man could have thrown water on Freddie, or pieces of paper, or rose petals.
But no, the scoundrel threw sh*t on poor, poor Freddie. This has to be a new low for even the most depraved of minds.

Let us take a moment to acknowledge what many have either already said or thought. Freddie can be a real big pain in the umm, rear. I’d bet he would even get on a holy man’s last nerve some days. Moreover, he truly isn’t all that sensitive anymore. And after this week, he probably does not smell all that sweet either.

Now, having acknowledged the obvious, it is clear that Freddie handled a very er, stinky, situation like the hero we all know him to be deep down inside. (Very, very deep down) He dealt with the whole fiasco using more grace and finesse than most of us would have been able to manage.

After all, Freddie is not just a columnist in Guyana. He is Guyana’s columnist. (No matter how stinky and insensitive he is) My initial reaction to the news was mixed with sadness and outrage. Is this how a journalistic icon should be treated? Hell no!

No matter that Freddie takes no prisoners. No matter that the whole country trembles with the thought of being caught in the cross-hairs of his angry pen. Freddie Kissoon symbolises the ongoing struggle toward a fair and just Guyana. As such he should be able to write whatever he wants regardless of who he hurts in the process. That’s only fair and just – right?

Sarcasm aside, the nastiness of this act against Freddie disgusts me. Even if one doesn’t always agree with his politics (which I don’t) and even if one thinks he crosses the line all too often (which I do), Freddie is one of the most important things that is right about Guyana. If every country had a Freddie Kissoon, the world would be a better place.

Pause for just a moment and consider what Guyana would be like without Freddie Kissoon. Sure, we might be able to digest breakfast a bit better since we wouldn’t be fretful over his abrasive writing tactics. However, beyond that, without Freddie Kissoon this nation would not have one of its staunchest advocates.

Let’s face it; we are never really sure how many of the other “advocates” are just blowing smoke.
Their words say one thing and their actions say something completely different. With Freddie, we always know where we stand – and we always know where he stands (glad it was far from me this week – phew!).

In short, Freddie Kissoon is not perfect (far from it) but Guyana needs this man.

A good man is not made up of what someone else throws on him; he is a culmination of what is in him. President Jagdeo may well be a “Champion of the Earth,” but Freddie Kissoon is Guyana’s Champion.

Stella Ramsaroop

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

We deserve better leaders

(Letter to Kaieteur News Editor - 05/26/10)

Dear Editor,

As I gazed at a video of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from a ruptured British Petroleum oil well, all I could think is, “what a mess!” My heart wrenched when considering the loss of sea life and the long-term environmental impact of this mess.

My next thought was that surely we could do better than this. Surely we can find leaders who will protect us from such catastrophes. We deserve better than this.

I had similar thoughts concerning the circumstances surrounding the most recent scandals to hit Guyana. What a mess! Surely Guyana can find leaders who can guard it from such indignity. And yes, the people of Guyana deserve better than this.

We need good leaders, not leaders who prove they despise their social contract with the people by their actions. Most times the political sphere seems more like a frat party than a collection of a nation’s best minds.

Yes, I am aware that power corrupts. I also know there is a certain psychological make-up that is pulled toward positions of power. In other words, there is a certain “type” of person who is drawn toward power and too often these are not the “types” who should be in power.

For example, there are very few people (thankfully) who could or would play games with the lives of others. I cannot even begin to consider using another person as a pawn for my own political or personal gain. Those who can do this are dangerous to the rest of us.

On the other hand, those who would be the best leaders – the ones who truly want to represent the interests of the people - are also the type of people who cannot stomach the political environment created by those who seek power.

Moreover, even if those good leaders do find a way to stick it out in a sick political atmosphere they oft times find they must “play the game” to get anything done for the people. Thus, they become part of the problem when they could have been the start of the solution.

It turns my stomach when leaders scorn the people they represent. Politicians think the people are ignorant. They believe the people to be gullible. When in reality, the people are given a choice of leaders of whom they know nothing except what those leaders present themselves to be in public.

It is the job of the journalists to discover and report the truth about a leader. Politicians and people alike throw scathing words (and now, evidently, fecal matter) at journalists, but if journalists do not tell us what our leaders are up to, who will?

Our leaders should be protecting society. They should be enriching society. They should be the ones on whom we can depend and in whose hands we can entrust our future. Instead, they are the ones from whom we hide our children. They are the ones to whom we point and tell our children to never follow their example.

We must find a remedy for this situation. I cannot say that I know what that remedy is right now. I do not. But a remedy must be found – and soon. For as long as it takes us to find a way to cure this sick political atmosphere, we continue to be led by leaders who no one should be following.

Stella Ramsaroop

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Yes, Stella lost her groove

I haven't updated this site for a while, though it still has some fantastic reading that continues to be relevant to Guyana today. This is especially true of the articles on women's issues.

I have spent the last 18 months (since retiring my Stella Says column in Kaieteur News) trying to get healthy again. I discovered only recently that I am allergic to several foods, including wheat (no breads, pastas, etc), milk (no dairy like cheese or ice cream), eggs, and gluten (which is in many spices). Unbeknownst to me, these food allergies wreaked havoc on my body for months and caused even more health issues.

I have been allergy free for over two months now and I am finally feeling like myself again. I'm even getting back some of the spunk I had before I started feeling so poorly. Although I am not yet up to par enough to start writing again, I do want to reconnect with all of my friends who care about the political and social issues in Guyana.

To be my friend on Facebook, Follow this link to my Facebook page.
To follow me on Twitter, I am @stella_says.

Warmest Regards,
Stella

Friday, December 14, 2007

The Guyana Groove Index

Welcome to Guyana Groove! Here is a list of some my older articles and letters posted on this blog. The italicised articles are written by others, but are included for referencing purposes:

November 2007

October 2007

September 2007

August 2007

July 2007

June 2007

May 2007

April 2007

March 2007

February 2007

January 2007

Taking a sabbatical

December 2006

November 2006

October 2006

September 2006

August 2006

July 2006

June 2006

May 2006

April 2006

March 2006

February 2006

January 2006

December 2005

November 2005

October 2005

September 2005

August 2005

July 2005

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Stella Says…It is time to break the mould

by Stella Ramsaroop

(Originally published in Guyana's Kaieteur News on 18 November 2007)

Author’s Note: The following is an essay I wrote in September 2001 as I was just breaking free from the social and religious expectations that held me back from being the woman I knew I could be. I have come a very long way, but this essay still inspires me today. I hope will inspire other women, too.

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I have long tried to be the person I was expected to be by society. The problem with this notion is that I need to be more than what others expect of me. I have so much to offer and yet feel that I must somehow squeeze into a mould that does not hold me.

Having succumbed to the social expectations of a stunted generation, I have spent many years playing with ideas of true freedom in my head. I have longed to break that mould, yet feared the consequences should I make such a drastic move.

I have settled for second or third or fourth best for myself, believing I was allotted no more in life than what I had been handed. I have felt to attempt anything more would prove my vanity and bring to light the arrogance so very alive in me.

However, this vanity and arrogance are no less honourable than the self-confidence of a man who is able to demonstrate his full potential without the walls of minimal societal expectation boxing him in.

I am more than a woman, more than a wife, more than a mother. I have an insatiable need to know and to learn and to do and to be; and those needs never seem to be quenched.

I know that I am more than I have been allowed to be. Why would I let someone else to dictate what I am or am not allowed to be in life? I know that I am more than I have allowed myself to be. Why would I hold myself back for the sake of conforming to archaic ideas? I am more than my mother said I am and more than my elementary school teacher said I am.

I am more than an object to be admired or acquired. I am more than the passive women of my generation who silently accept their assigned lot in life and then attempt to perpetually entertain themselves in hopes of forgetting their plight.

I am more than those who blindly submit to notions passed down by a generation of weak women who sold their souls to shallow men for the sake of feeling accepted by strong arms, but then received only bitterness as a payment for their precious goods.

There are so many women whose true potential will never be fully realized because of the low expectations placed on them. These low expectations are the standard by which many women live their lives. Therefore, it is perfectly normal for them to fall in line and perform that role which provides little or no allowances for any form of deviation.

Women are treated as if they have minimal intelligence and are expected to be happy with the ordinary and the mundane while the men take on the big bad world. But what about women who have the strength, intelligence and audacity to take on the world?

I have not been honest. I have not been honest with myself or with those who love me. I need more. I am more. No one else could answer the questions that plagued my mind because all of their expectations of me were still too low. No one else could fulfil my need to explore and learn.

I have so much energy and so many ideas that are going to waste in a land long forgotten because I have not had the courage to state them or the avenue by which to share them. I have been made to feel that my husband and family should be my life and that it is socially and morally wrong to want or need anything more than that.

But I cannot see how it could be wrong to want more when nature has given me an instinctive drive to desire more so desperately.

I will no longer succumb to the stereotypical role of a woman just to appease the ego of a few men who cannot see past their own selfish ambitions long enough to truly appreciate the potential of another human being.

I will no longer slouch my posture or act ignorant of an idea in order to stroke the insecurities of men or women who feel the need to still conform to the sexist views of generations past.

I will not act as though I am uninformed and have no opinion in matters that are important in life for the sake of complying with the notions of a few ignorant souls. I will never again open the doors of innocent naivety to allow myself to be victimized at the hands of someone who desires to use me for their own selfish motives.

I will never again be ‘put in my place’ by the likes of a man who cannot handle a woman with a thinking brain.

Instead, I will allow myself to think and to be and to do. I will step beyond the door that has been shutting me in and break into the world that is waiting to be explored and understood. I will be bold and will allow my self-confidence to shine through.

I will walk with my head held high and with purpose in my step. I will take on tasks that are beyond me in order to push myself further than I thought I could go. I will no longer hide my intelligence, but instead put it on proud display for all to see. I will be all that I am. No, I am all that I am. I am.

Email: StellaSays[at]gmail.com

Friday, November 16, 2007

Stella Says…Not Raphael Trotman too!

by Stella Ramsaroop

(Originally published in Guyana's Kaieteur News on 16 November 2007)

What is it going to take for the men of Guyana to start treating the women with the respect they rightly deserve? Just last Sunday I wrote a column about the need for the nation’s leaders to be educated on violence against women. However, it seems that education needs to be far more comprehensive.

In that same Sunday Kaieteur News paper, Raphael Trotman wrote an open letter to President Jagdeo asking for the Executive to reconsider the VAT tax as it has brought much hardship on the people. Trotman sent copies of this letter to ten organisations that he termed as stakeholders on this issue, of which The Red Thread was not on the list.

Allow me to first say that I applaud Trotman for taking the initiative to accomplish something positive for the people (Although when I acknowledge the PPP for doing the same, Freddie gets mad. But I am sure he will not have one word to say about objectivity extended toward the AFC. Such hypocrisy!)

Indeed, it is refreshing to see various politicians (regardless of their political persuasion) doing something good for the people after such a long dry spell of inactivity. In fact, it may be because of the introduction of the AFC into the national political scene that has caused the PPP to get off its lazy rump and finally do something because at long last they see a potential threat come 2011.

So here is my bravo to Trotman. Hoorah for you. I offer a sincere pat on the back for doing the job you were elected to do. However (You knew there would be a “However,” right?), how could The Red Thread not be included among the stakeholders you publicly listed in your letter on the VAT tax?

You really must understand how this omission translates to the women of that organisation. It is a public slap on the face. It summarily dismisses these women and their work as negligible when they have probably worked more than anyone else to highlight this issue.

Raphael, it is time that the women of Guyana start calling the men on this indifferent attitude toward women. It is demeaning and it is frustrating. This attitude is at the very core of why women are treated so badly overall, including domestic violence, rape and murder.

I could not have been more proud of The Red Thread ladies for pointing out your injury. They even said they believe your offence was because they are women – and I tend to agree.

Whether your omission was overt or not does not matter. There would be no reasonable explanation for you to make a conscience decision to omit The Red Thread from your stakeholders list. However, if you did, your offence was intentional and meant to send a message to the women – a message that was received.

However, if your decision was simply because you did not think to include them – this is just as insulting and is akin to the PNCR’s crime initiative’s draft that did not address the overwhelming violence inflicted on Guyana’s women every single day. This indifferent attitude toward women stinks.

Where was Sheila Holder in this whole process? Did she not think to mention how insulting this would be to dismiss the women’s group that has been so vocal on VAT for months now? While the AFC still remained silent, The Red Thread was pleading for help for the people.

Raphael, you owe the women of The Red Thread and the nation at large an apology for this insult. You are a leader of the party that promises change and one issue that needs to change the most in Guyana is this dismissive attitude toward half of the nation’s population. Your party vehemently claims to reject racism, how about firming rejecting sexism as well?

I expected more from you. I expected you to be an advocate for equality. I expected you to comprehend the magnitude of the suffering of your female constituents, of which you just contributed by dismissing their representatives. Raphael, you need to make this right.

The AFC should extend a hand of reconciliation to The Red Thread and stand in solidarity with this organisation to accomplish great things for the people.

It will be interesting to see if Raphael has the capacity to correct this situation, whether it was intentional or not. It will say a lot about his character and the type of leader the nation can expect to see.

If this is left undone, I know it will completely change the way I view Trotman and the AFC from this point on.

Email: StellaSays[at]gmail.com