Charrandass Persaud: one-off or norm of PPP/C standards

Kaieteur News – In the obscene developments surrounding the Charrandass Persaud matter, many Guyanese have come to express their public shame- their public anger.  The more self-respecting among us, felt it necessary to articulate where they stood on what can only be described as embarrassing.  But, as the righteous indignations have surfaced over the former High Commissioner’s self-inflicted fall from grace, the bigger question is whether we are missing the bigger story.  It could be for the sensible reason that most Guyanese prefer not to call things as they are, that is, a dirty spade for what it, just that and only that.

Let this truth be faced frontally: a citizen of the calibre of Persaud should not have been in any diplomatic outpost, not even a minor, obscure one.  His reputation, be it what was known or what was whispered before his India assignment, was enough to avoid such thinking, to reward him differently for his no confidence vote in 2018.  He is not the kind of a citizen to be considered for high profile jobs, certainly not for one requiring the delicacy of a being this nation’s Chief Diplomat in another country. This is more than about the requisite skills, or special prowess in the arts of finesse.  It is about the kind of standing, the nature of the shadow, that a Chief Diplomat should and must convey at all times, and never more than when the stresses of this high office come.

In the instance of India, it has earned a dubious reputation in Guyana, for being the dumping ground for citizens who have proved their loyalty in extraordinary ways, and for whom a place must be found. A place that is in keeping with their importance to the ruling political party and its leadership.  A place far away enough that memory can become clouded about the person sent there and what could have been behind such a posting.  India fits smoothly and efficiently for such purposes, and before Persaud, it was the beneficiary of another Guyanese of great reputation in the field of ‘national security.’  His name was Ronald Gajraj and a lot of havoc in this country was traceable to him.  Thankfully, he was smart enough and calm enough to keep his head down, and let the calendar complete its days.

Moving from the case of India, and speaking of the senior diplomatic cohort in general, this position must be taken immediately: too often, too many of them do not impress as being anything other than party loyalists, and not so much more of anything.  In this time of great discoveries, and Guyana’s Age of Oil, party hacks and trusted comrades are not the best representation that this country should consider for diplomatic postings.  The need is for men of seasoning, women of character, and officers who will all make us proud in the work they do, notwithstanding the occasional gaffes they may make.

The fact that a Charrandass Persaud could even be in the thinking of leaders and decision-makers in this PPP/C Government speaks volumes of what and who are most valued by it.  This is less of those who collapses in disgrace, but more of those who could be so limited, so unconcerned, and so full of themselves that they surround themselves with the worst that this country has to offer. This diplomatic blunder comes in for the spotlight because it is so high profile, and in a foreign environment to boot.

But there is the perception that incomparably worse is part and parcel of our oil management, our public service oversight, our financial integrity in matters large and small.  In a nutshell, on anything that has money written on it, and there is the belief that there are many men and women, who do worse right here, than what Charrandass Persaud did in India.  It is the norm, no matter how covered-up, and everyone suspects it, are convinced that this is what we harbor.  For every Charrandass Persaud degrading himself (and us), there are a thousand right here doing much more poorly, and nothing ever comes out of it.  Instead of screaming ‘how could he’, it is better to ask, ‘why is this so in Guyana’?

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