Published: 18th of June, 2025 by Patrick Carpen
Last updated: September 15, 2025 at 21:10 pmDuring my childhood, in the late 1980s and early 90s, we use to eagerly anticipate at nights an African couple on a donkey-drawn cart shouting in a loud voice, “cake and bread!” Their cart was lit by a flambeau lamp and guarded from the weather by a huge umbrella. At the back was a wide assortment of cakes such as red bread (salara), cassava pone, fat top, pine tart, etc, and magnificent homemade bread. These were not only delicious, but tasty as well. As the cart approached, we would run down the stairs to intercept it in front of our house to purchase what we wanted.
Those were the days of the rule of President Forbes Burnham, when the Guyanese dollar actually had real value. One could have planted a bed of celery in the front yard, take it to the market and sell it, and have enough money to buy a few days’ ration for his entire household. I have reason to believe that this couple selling cake and bread in the evenings made a fortune and set themselves up well in life either at home or abroad, although I cannot be sure.
President Forbes is perhaps Guyana’s most hated president, especially by Guyanese of East Indian descent. He is often called the “white mouth” president – a reference to the “white mouth” condition caused by undernourishment. The truth, however, is that President Burnham had a good and workable vision for Guyana. Unfortunately, he failed to implement it effectively. Burnham’s vision was to get the people of Guyana physically active in producing their own food and goods, thus bolstering food security and creating a form of self-sufficiency. He closed off imports in an effort to force the Guyanese people to “produce or perish.” Incidentally, a recent study showed that Guyana is the only country in the world capable of producing all the food it needs.
In my opinion, most Guyanese of that time were too climatized to the “easy work” the British rulers allocated to them on the sugar plantations. As a child in the 1980s and 90s, I would hear stories of how things were so much easier under British rule, pre-1966. Sugar workers would be back home from the fields by 10 AM playing music, drinking rum, and making merry at home. Further, the British appropriated land, provided defense, and enacted laws to protect citizens. Indentured laborers were given titled lands and ready made houses, and water and electricity were readily supplied. There was also free education and the provision for upward social and economic mobility available to all Guyanese.
When the British granted Independence to Guyana in 1966, things changed drastically. Burnham took the reigns of power, and although his vision was good, his method of implementation was too rash and brutal. Most Guyanese were too climatized to the “ready made” lifestyle handed to them by the British. Working around the clock, devising, creating, innovating, and creating industries was out of the scope of most. This caused many to face economic hardship and flee the country, seeking refuge on foreign shores.
A small fraction of Guyanese on the other hand, capitalized on Burnham’s “produce or perish” policy and got rich. They were the ones who were willing to put their shoulder to the wheel and devise, create, and innovate. One notable such family were the Beharrys who now own the GBTI Bank and many other industries. There is a rumor that the Beharrys have so much money that they “can’t count it.”
The Beharrys were not the only ones who built lasting wealth during the rule of President Burnham. Many others did, from all ethnic groups. But many others suffered and fled the country. Thus, there is still great distaste at the thought of President Forbes Burnham.
To say that there was starvation during the rule of President Burnham was a lie. Born in the 80s, I lived about 9 years during Burnham’s rule. And no, there was no starvation. Yes, there was shortage of various items from time to time, but this shortage was also a highly ignored doorway to economic opportunities and wealth creation.
The rule of President Burnham provided plenty of opportunities to succeed in life. It gave us an opportunity to make our own “cake and bread.” But, climatized by the ease of British rule, most Guyanese were not ready to be jolted into that reality.
About the Author
