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Support for National Martyrs Day

Jun 23, 2009 Letters

Dear Editor,
I write in support of a letter captioned, “Let’s have a National Martyrs Day” under the hands of Fazel Khan, printed in the Kaieteur News, Monday June 22, 2009.
I wish to state quite categorically that in the interest of forging national unity and building social cohesion all those persons who are considered Martyrs should be honoured.
As a means of identifying persons to be designated as Martyrs, a National Martyrs Committee should be established and the criteria made public as to what defines a Martyr. These Martyrs names should also be published.
As a starting point perhaps Dr. James Rose, Dr. McGowan and Dr. Tota Manga should form the Committee and co-opt other members, so that come June 2010 Guyanese could celebrate a National Martyrs Day as a National Holiday.

It is outrageous that the President of Guyana should be the main speaker at the Enmore Monument; if the President is such a big champion of workers’ plight then those workers and the 24 unions, which joined thousands of civil servants on strike in May 1999 to press for a 40% pay raise and to protest the police shooting of 17 demonstrators on May 18th of that same year can look forward to that increase and some form of compensation. The workers wait to see.
The National Martyrs Committee should also be responsible for planning and executing an appropriate programme of activities for the remembrance of the Martyrs.
I wish to again state my support for the introduction and observance of National Martyrs Day as a National Holiday.
Courtney Henry

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