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Have we as a nation no longer care for the dead?

Apr 30, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
I take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the improvements this country has made in the last few years. I was especially impressed with the renovations done at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport; the new Berbice Bridge and International Conference Centre. I trust that we would continue on the path to betterment in other areas as well.
However, I was recently faced with a situation which appalled my family and me. We returned to Guyana to bury a loved one. As with any family, death touches our emotions in indescribable ways. With this in mind, the visit to Le Repentir Cemetery caused our pain to be multiplied one hundred times over.
I could not believe the blatant disregard this country has for the dead. The cemetery is in such disrepair. It has become a dumping area for garbage, overgrown grass and trees, a breeding ground for reptiles and in a nutshell, an eyesore.
In an effort to place the deceased with another deceased family member, chainsaws had to be used to try to clear a path to that grave. Unfortunately, that effort had to be abandoned. The new site that was chosen was also overgrown and arrangements were made to clear that area so that our loved one could have a decent and respectful burial.
It was my understanding that people pay rates and taxes for this very purpose.
Have we as a nation of people made such great progress that we no longer care for the dead, those left behind and the general health, cleanliness and maintenance of our city and nation?
This is not to point a finger, but rather to bring to the attention of the authorities the urgent need and responsibility we have to fix this problem and to do so expeditiously.
Perhaps no one has mentioned it before but my family and I feel a responsibility to do so. We do so with the utmost confidence that armed with this knowledge the powers that be will do the right thing.
Perhaps it is time for our Government to consider opening a new burial site beyond the Diamond/Grove area to avoid the un-pleasantness experienced by families recently.
Jacqueline Bourne

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