WHATEVER explanations we attach to the mysteries of life and death, the physical entity we know as Robert Corbin has transitioned out of this world. Tributes poured in, as it were, on the crest of a tsunami.
The most memorable and historically contextual tribute to RHO Corbin came from Vice-president Jagdeo. His presentation is undoubtedly a political lifeline for the PNC; it is hoped that the leaders of the PNC are astute enough to contextualise and actualise it for their own survival and renewal.
During the many tributes, it dawned on me that too often we share political space with comrades and opponents and do not give public tributes to them while they are alive. This is more remarkable when the individual is a political opponent. The idea that opponents are poisonously unappreciative of each other quite often finds its way into the psyche of the nation and serves to reinforce binary political stereotypes. The result is a new crop of political activists who believe that their rites of passage is to be trenchant hatemongers who often drag a large section of the population down the rabbit hole with them.
Corbin was markedly different. I met him a few times in public settings and a time or two in private meetings. We didn’t share any close relations, but I admired aspects of his politics. My admiration for Corbin has its foundation in the personage of Christopher Jones. I know Chris well, since we were young. I saw Corbin’s mentorship of him. Corbin allowed him to sit in at several high-level meetings as his personal aide and at times as his photographer. By the time Chris occupied any leadership position of note in the PNC, he had, no doubt, acquired advanced political exposure and transferrable knowledge that benefited the PNC immensely. I really have healthy respect and admiration for political leaders who draft, curate, and give exposure to the next generation of leaders. In this regard Corbin was a bastion in the PNC and was up there with the best of them who served.
At the personal level, I do not know President Ali very well but, when I see him in action and when I consider his service as a minister and the panache with which his presidency is flourishing, I cannot help but admire and support his government. Vicariously, I transfer the entire trove of admiration to Vice-president Jagdeo, for the same reasons I admired Corbin. His track record of drafting. exposing and mentoring fresh, youthful talent, the president being the foremost among his protégés, is almost unrivalled and among the best of the best to have done so.
At the funeral service, Aubrey Norton made an about turn from his politics of haphephobia. He didn’t only shake hands with the president, they embraced and shared a gentleman’s kiss. This is a positive move by Norton, ending his five-year standoff. I hope this is the way marker that Norton will lead the PNC into a new political epoch of more politically sober, thoughtful and engaging activism.
Taken together, the encomium by VP Jagdeo, the politically proceptive posture taken by Norton and the tribute of President Ali, I will refer to it as the Corbin effect. That is to say, his departure created common space for politicians who share opposing political platforms to express appreciation for each other and open avenues for political engagement. This kind of thing occurred in the past, but this occasion is perhaps the most pronounced in terms of the impression it made on the political consciousness of the nation. The pity is that this almost never happens when the object of adoration is alive.
For the rest of this article, I would like to sojourn into the Corbin effect with a quick note on Raphael Trotman and Khemraj Ramjattan. I used this space in the past to offer criticisms of both gentlemen, but that does not mean I am unappreciative of them personally, nor am I unappreciative of their contributions to national politics.
I have always carried a fondness for Raphael Trotman. After I had made the decision to leave the AFC, I called and had a long conversation with him about my political future. Though I had not settled on my new move, I mentioned, in passing, that the PPP was not outside my field of view. Trotman advised me to make whatever decision is best for my family while I seek to serve others. He added that while “we” are political rivals of the PPP, “we do not hate the PPP.” The conversation took some turns at that point. I never got a chance to fully clarify the real meaning of “we.” It could’ve meant, we the AFC or we – you and I. In the context of the conversation, I believe he was referring to himself, not having trenchant dislike for the PPP. In so doing, he understood why I found the PPP politically palatable.
I also have a deep appreciation for the forthright, raw and unpretensive aura that Ramjattan’s personality exudes. During the failed attempt to manipulate the results of the 2020 elections, for much of the time Ramjattan was not kept in the loop. I believe the principals inside the PNC apportioned some blame for the Charrandass vote to Ramjattan and this fuelled distrust. For most of my time inside the recount centre, I kept Ramjattan updated because there was a blackout of information from the nerve centre. Of course, I communicated my sentiments that the recount returns could not vindicate an APNU+AFC win. This helped him arrive at the decision to call a meeting of the ministry’s senior staff (I sat right beside him) to announce that the APNU+AFC government had fallen. Of course, this was secretly recorded and widely circulated. As a parting note, he wished the Irfaan Ali government well and asked the senior staff to offer their best service regardless of the government in office.
The contributions of Trotman and Ramjattan to Guyanese politics should never be underestimated or discounted. Even though their political stars are fading as they drift into retirement from active politics, it is my hope that they can summon the vestiges of their political hey days and pool their experience to make a parting gift to the people of Guyana by helping to defuse the current hurriedly descending culture of poison-filled, rage-baiting politics that has overtaken our political space.
Jagdeo and Norton have both made definitive statements in the name of Corbin. Any contribution by Trotman and Ramjattan will not be unimportant to the process of helping the government and the opposition to find common ground.