Concerted coalescing flames of dissonance and upheaval are visible

Dear Editor, There is a problem; in fact, many serious problems. No one wants to hear any questions; no one wants to provide any answers. Call them silent, speechless, deliberately and determinedly dumb when such tactics suit their purposes. The same pervasive resistance-be it individuals, corporate citizens, or legal entities-have no documents to furnish and no interest in furnishing any. Not a blade of grass has a new equivalent: not one piece of paper; not one straight answer. Call it a continuing bloodless attempted coup, a paper rebellion with far reaching consequences.

Pillars in this society, cornerstones of the economy, have neither use nor appreciation nor the time of day for rules and regulations, nor policies and procedures. There is only sustained ferocious revolt, most of which is underground. In the same breath, the law is welcomed and lauded, as well as paid the shallow courtesy of practiced public lip service; in essence a lot of sound and nothing else. On the other hand, the implementation and enforcement of the same laws-vital, cleansing, and protecting-enrages those same pillars of society and cornerstones of the economy to such an extent that they commit influence and resources towards clandestine, crippling action to undermine and derail. Except that such action is not so secret, or so indecipherable.

It could be taxes; it could be gold; it could be anti-money laundering (AML) or countering of the financing of terrorism (CFT); it could be law enforcement and the judicial process; and in each and every area, the concerted coalescing flames of dissonance and upheaval are visible and irrefutably so. To be sure, great care and lengths are observed to conceal the footprints of the intellectual and financial sponsors behind the galvanized pawns and foot soldiers who do the groundwork for a cause (so they believe); for a piece of silver (so they receive); for an agitated, concerned presence (so they deceive). Again, except that no one was (or is) ever fooled by the perfect convenient cover stories.

Guyanese, listen to them: they are concerned and agitated about the cost of living; the cost of health; the cost of contracts; and the cost of compliance. So they say; this thin frontline officer corps in obedience to lucrative rewarding commands originating with a commercial junta dedicated to reviving the status quo ex ante. Unlike coup d’états of yesteryear, the modern ones do not arrive with the intimidation of uniforms or the roar of armoured personnel carriers at strategic public checkpoints. Instead, the attempted civil coups of today in Guyana are more clever and insidious: paid agents whisper and write; or denounce and demand; or object and seek to overthrow. There must be no renaissance, no reform; this is the counterreformation before any reformation of any kind has taken root. The best defence is an unrelenting offence; and that is what is happening out there in the trenches in the name of workers (who scorn their advocates); on behalf of the poor (who wonder what is in it for the rich); and for the benefit of the disenfranchised (who do not think that they are). A real revealing racket it is.

The counteroffensive has been truncated and sporadic; it lacks concentrated fire and strength; and is diluted and diminished at strategic delivery points. The media is one aspect of the latter, through the dissipation of its keenness, interest, and energy for the other side of the coin. As for the former, the government is of several minds at best; at worst, it is disconnected and disdainful of the latent threats. This further emboldens those labouring purposefully and ferociously for ascendancy through the supremacy of their own visions and interests. They are not favourable to the welfare of this country.

As attempted coups go, these are on a slow walk march, open to scrutiny and discovery, but damaging on multiple fronts, gathering strength all the while, and left largely unaddressed in the required frontal confrontation. In the interim, the powerful have marshalled forces; money is not a limitation; and so, too, are the objectives contemplated. Yours faithfully, GHK Lall