Drs. Karen and Immanuel Cummings and the cries of the PPP

JUNE 30, 2015 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER FEATURES / COLUMNISTS, FREDDIE KISSOON

We are nothing in this world if we do not accept and possess moral obligation. Moral obligation is one of the most recondite discussions in philosophy. Kant is regarded as the philosopher who pioneered an understanding of moral obligation but subsequent philosophers have seriously critiqued Kant. Hegel is one. Hegel lifts the subjective role in moral obligation out of Kant and replaces it with the moral relation between individual and society. Hegel’s position best explains moral responsibility in modern society and should be applied when studying the refusal of PPP leaders working in the nerve centre of government to resign even though their party has lost the 2015 General Elections. It is morally outrageous that these PPP leaders can remain in high administrative capacities and see no moral virtue in offering their resignation. Should this be accepted by the citizenry? In which modern democracy in the 21st century, would a new government retain leaders of the losing party in some of the most structural edifices of the state? When Raymond Azeez, the Commercial and Marketing Manager of NCN called me after rumours began to spread about this resignation thing, I said to him, “You make your bed; you have to lie on it.” That was the Guyanese proverb I cited and they were among the first words I used when I got the call from Azeez. He was a candidate for the PPP in the 2015 poll. One day I had lunch at Big Daddy’s On Parade Street, Kingston with Dr. Immanuel Cummings, my former colleague at UG and husband of Junior Health Minister, Dr. Karen Cummings. I remonstrated with him over his lack of confrontation with the PPP leadership in the 2011 General Election when his wife was dismissed from her job as Regional Health Officer because she was on the APNU list of candidates. Immanuel was a PPP election candidate at the same time. Last week Thursday, I asked Immanuel how he felt about these PPP candidates who were on the PPP lists in 2015 but are still in the public service jobs. He said he wants to be quoted as accusing the PPP of practising double standards. He said in 2011 when he brought up the issue of his wife’s dismissal, the PPP told him, it was public service rules that a person could not be on a party list and remain as a public servant. He agreed with the question put to him that these candidates should resign. This is where the saying. “Who feels it, knows it.” comes in. At the time of the dismissal of Dr. Cummings, she had a young child attending private school. It is for this reason that dictators have to be made accountable for their crimes. The very people who are crying about witch-hunt of their supporters witch-hunted Karen Cummings out of her job in 2011. It is not that the PPP leaders just quietly did their state job while they served the PPP. In fact, they campaigned and after the PPP lost the election on May 11, they were even in the picket line demonstrating against rigged elections. This newspaper has a photograph of Hydar Ally, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Public Service in a demonstration after May 11. Ally is both a member of the PPP Central Committee and its Executive Committee. Omar Shariff, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President appeared at a PPP press conference after May 11. There is PPP 2015 election candidate Mahender Sharma, Head of the Energy Authority. He is still on the job. There is the PPP 2015 election candidate, Badri Persaud, Head of Guyoil. He is still on the job. Winston Brassington is still on the job. Ricky Singh is still a Chronicle columnist. Where are these people’s moral obligation to themselves and society? Dr. David Hinds, a Guyanese icon told me he will soon be doing columns for the Chronicle. I yelled out loudly; “You will have Mark Ramotar as your editor?” David grew up in political struggle and is a superb orator. But when I calmed down, there was no response from him. For the first time, I saw that my friend was lost for words. Really David! You would accept Mark Ramotar editing your columns? Ramotar should have gone a month ago. The caricature becomes intriguing because the new government seems to mirror the position of these PPP mandarins. The PPP personnel say that they see no moral obligation to the nation to resign. The new government says it sees no moral obligation to the nation to dismiss them. Strange politics in a strange land.