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HISTORY MUST BE REVEALED

May 28, 2014 Letters

Dear Editor,
Within the last year I have been followingwith mixed feelings, newspapers accounts of activities/events in my community of East Canje. Those activities have created among the people of East Canje an intangible sense of pride. These events did not only heighten our awareness of the sacrifices made by former residents but demonstrated to us the impact of the actions of those until now, forgotten persons.
We learnt of some of the significant changes, many of which we are the benefactors today. Those heroes sought improvement in the working conditions of the general population, specifically the East Indian immigrant sugar workers.
Among the events written about were the January 2013 commemoration of the seven sugar workers who perished in that tragic clarifier accident of the 1970s. Even though tragic it has taught many lessons of valour, something  which today is sadly missing as we interact with each other.
The unveiling of the monument in memory of the thirteen martyred in 1913 at the hands of the Colonial Policealso left us with lessons of courage and the harsh reality of what the face of inhumanity looks like.
My disappointments emanated from two sources; part being how some letter writers dealt with the planning aspect of the events and the actual finale for both activities. We who were involved minimally in the preparatory discussions know that if it were not for an eminent son of Canje who first saw the light of day among the logies inhabited by the coolies of Rose Hall Estate, neither of those events would have materialized when they did.
We are also aware that he was the initiator of the annual Highbury Arrival Day event, since some of us participated in the initial planning of the first celebration in Highbury to mark Indian Arrival Day, 26 years ago.
The person whom we on the ground in Canje acknowledge ,without a doubt, as being the initiator was also the motivating force in getting things in place for propagating the related issues among residents and who worked tirelessly to bring off those events. This he did until some of the same letter-writing debaters and their supporters hijacked the event for whatever ulterior gains they envisaged.
A perusal of the man’s works revealed his wider national consciousness. Without a doubt the nation of Guyana owes him (big time) for successfully negotiating the take-over of Bookers-McConnell Lid for the sum of a token Guyana dollar. Yes Bookers holdings were officially transferred for a token Guyana Dollar to Guysuco, thanks to the astute negotiating skills of the erstwhile Economist Dr Fred Sukdeo, DPhil.
His brilliance was recognized by the late President Forbes Burnham, and even though, Dr Sukdeo was reputed to be a Jaganite, President Burnham appealed to his sense of nationalism and he rose to the of occasion. Many may not even be cognizant of how deeply he was involved in the erection of the Enmore Martyrs’ Monument.
In academia, his many students here and overseas can attest to his intellectual capacity and his willingness to share. It is that same willingness to share his knowledge that the IAC now palavers successfully with the annual Melas at Highbury and other parts of Guyana to mark Indian Arrival.
One wonders why he was not a part of the official proceedings held at Rose Hall Estate on January 2014 to unveil the monument in honour of the 1913 martrys since he made an invaluable contribution for this event to materialize.
In my opinion the time is ripe for this septuagenarian to be accorded the recognition in his community and nationally for his contributions in the many areas where he left his indelible marks. History can never be tailored; the nation will be even further enlightened in follow up articles.
D. Mahabir

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