As Guyana prepares for elections next year and amid fear about a potential invasion from its western neighbour, the two major political parties in the ‘Fastest Growing Economy in the World’ are embroiled in a back-and-forth regarding whether the Guyanese Head of State should be dancing—and perhaps more crucially, questioning his rhythmic abilities.
The discourse comes amidst the President, Dr Irfaan Ali gyrating at his party’s 32nd Congress held last weekend in Georgetown. With a style that seemingly sought to replicate that of the iconic Michael Jackson – including the beloved Leg Kick – the Guyanese Leader was at the receiving end of both admiration and criticism.
Immediately, opposition members and those aligned began talking about the preservation of the sanctity of the presidential image. Some contend that the president – although at a party event – went too far, and perhaps, delivered a performance too comical to be associated with someone of his stature.
Those who stood in awe at the President’s use of space, seem to think otherwise. They believe that a leader must be able to show a lighter side; one that reminds the citizenry that a president, like everyone else, is human. This, they claim, makes the Head of State approachable and genuine.
According to the Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo, dancing reflects the “realness” of President Ali.
“But if you know President Ali, he’s not fake. This is how he has been his whole life. He’s a serious person, a smart person. He works hard and he has fun too. He’ll do this and then he’ll go back to dealing. He dances and has fun with his comrades and then goes on back to some serious business,” Jagdeo said in response to a letter penned by Opposition Member of Parliament and Senior Counsel, Roysdale Forde.
MP Forde wrote: “Dressing up and trying to dancing [sic] as a popstar may seem like a lighthearted gesture, but it risks making light the gravity of the presidential office and diminishing its authority in the eyes of the general public and international community. Again, such antics, as the one displayed by the President, divert attention away from very serious and worrying issues facing our nation.”
As for the Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, it is all about the rhythm.
“All humans need to dance, but if you’re going to dance, you have to actually have rhythm”, the political scientist said amidst a nod of agreement from his Economic Advisor, Elson Low.
The advisor even added that the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, who is leading the push to seize two-thirds of Guyana’s territory illegally, must be looking at President Ali dancing with a snort of derision and even sees his counterpart as not serious enough to represent Guyana’s push to stave off the claim.
As the debate rages on over the appropriateness of a dancing president, an oil-related scandal regarding overinflation by billions of US dollars has been unearthed and is before the local court, with US oil giant, Exxon Mobil caught in the middle. The country is also scampering to plug more megawatts of electricity into the national grid via a power ship as citizens are bombarded with daily blackouts and loss of production. The latter persists even amidst high cost of living and what appears to be the return of the wet season.
