We must put an end to our own ‘apartheid’

Dec 09, 2013 Letters

Dear Editor,
The gloom of Nelson Mandela’s death certainly reverberated throughout the world on the 5th of December, with a magnitude outrivaling the earthquake in Haiti.
Distant relatives in philosophy stood still that day to grieve the sad passing of their fellow. Esteemed world leaders such as Barrack Obama, David Cameron, Ban Ki Moon, et al were no different in their affirmation that the world has truly lost a beloved icon of the fight against racial segregation. Tributes from various Caribbean leaders were also noted.
As far as racial segregation goes-with the exception of Guyana and Dominican Republic-the Caribbean is Nelson Mandela’s ‘promise land’. It is against this background I have taken umbrage to the message propagated by our own president -His Excellency Donald Ramotar-and will reveal it for what it is really worth.
In his tribute he declared that the former South African President and Freedom Fighter “was a giant in [the] defence of human rights and for free and just society…” I find this statement to be very superficial if not hypocritical given the record of this administration’s stance on human rights.
Needless to mention that an alarming number of Guyanese human rights have repeatedly been infringed under the same president, who is now suddenly mouthing about “social and economic justice”. The same leader’s administration has been riddled with accusations of social and economic injustices that he refuses to speak about.
A suitable case in point is the weeks of struggle resulting from a peaceful protest of Lindeners in the summer of 2012. It took a very long time for the ‘President of all the people’ to visit the depraved town after a concert of shrilling cries, urging him to visit the depressed town was heeded.
This widely acknowledged inaction was further smacked when an isolated event forced an expeditious venture of the peoples’ president to personally visit the home of a young detective, who has reportedly been making huge inroads in the prosecution of narcotics-related cases, to extend his heartfelt condolences after he was found murdered.
I would rather to be puzzled than to assume that racial preponderance crept in later when several other lawmen lost their lives in the line of duty and the President’s visit to their homes were not a logical option.
Now I am appealing to the entire Guyana to understand that the objective of my critique of the highest office of the land is certainly not unwarranted. Moreso, my missive is clearly one of a defeatist intention.
In essence this letter must not be construed as offensive or dismissed as the mere egotism of some lowly griped individual who perhaps wants to steal the show from the President.
Rather, the purpose of this missive is to point out to the President that he missed the mark. He has certainly missed an importunate time to be exponential if not philosophical in his message to emulate the late “giant for a free and just society” by echoing to all Guyanese whether ‘black or coolie’ to put an end to our own apartheid so that maybe one day he will not be remembered as a dwarf “in the defence of human rights and for a free and just society.”
Paul Akeem Marshall

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