Dear Editor
Let us begin with Mark Twain’s 1882 essay “On the Decay of the Art of Lying.” Here is the American legend – “The man who tells a lie to help the poor devil in trouble, is one of whom the angels doubtless say, ‘Lo here is an heroic soul who casts his own welfare into jeopardy to succor his neighbor’s; let us exalt this magnanimous liar” (Twain, 182).
Apropos, GHK Lall has represented himself as a “conscientious objector,” (KN 1/2/2024) a construct usually used by those who refuse to serve in the military. The broader, core idea, is that based on his morality and ethics, he does not want to participate in activities that rub up against his conscience. Yet, this same man, day in and day out, harangues a democratically elected government mostly for the pleasure and benefit of the APNU-AFC. Day after day, this most magnanimous “conscientious objector” makes excuses for electoral bandits, for those who spent considerable parts of their lives destroying Guyana.
Some time ago, I noted that this same conscientious provocateur was using a specific strategy to build a following. The strategy – attack Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo day in and day out, and because Jagdeo is a ‘big zinc,’ attention will be drawn to the goody-two-shoes conscientious objector.
The other gambit of GHK Lall, is to attack ExxonMobil. Here he is just days ago – “to date, all our leaders … have pussyfooted, fooled around, and fished about on how to deal with the anaconda that is Exxon, which has Guyanese securely wrapped and trapped in its corporate coils” (1/29/2024). What a savior! Yet, this same GHK Lall is actually invested in Exxon and “other US companies” (1/2/2024).
The man cusses out Exxon, calling it a reptile, then when pushed, admits he is invested in the Big Oil company, whom (among others) he has designated “foreign enslavers” (1/2/2024). But wait, he has an exculpatory clause, a kind of moral “Get out of Jail Free” card. Here he is – “They make money, I get a penny. It is another fact that I have petitioned, pressed for a little less for Exxon et al, a bit more for Guyanese.” Mark Tawin looms large here. “…the Lie, as a Virtue, a Principle, is eternal; the Lie as a Recreation, a solace, a refuge in time of need, the fourth Grace, the tenth Muse, man’s best and surest friend, is immortal…”
While GHK Lall specializes in attacking Jagdeo on behalf on APNU-AFC, his attack repertoire is much broader. In the recent past he has attacked the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, implying he is the Dr. Frankenstein of Money (1/30/2024); the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, whom he described as erratic with his time; and the Parliament itself, labeling that revered institution as “overpoweringly perverted” (1/30/2024).
“Lo here is an heroic soul who casts his own welfare into jeopardy to succor his neighbor’s let us exalt this magnanimous liar” (Mark Twain, 1882).
Sincerely
Dr. Randy Persaud
