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Enough of the history rewrites!

Dec 30, 2014 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
I am not one to take up space in your newspaper on a regular basis, but kindly permit me to debunk the inaccuracy of Peeping Tom’s (Burnham and diplomatic relations with Cuba) commentary in the Monday December 29, 2014 issue.
Peeping Tom asserts that it took Burnham more than six years to establish diplomatic ties with Cuba. Can Peeping Tom remind this nation that while Guyana gained Independence in 1966 we were still under the British monarchy, and that it wasn’t until 1970 that we became a Republic, thereby breaking free from external rule completely, and thereby with full authority to make decisions on our own. Thus it was merely two years after becoming a Republic that saw Guyana establishing diplomatic ties with Cuba.
While reading for a degree in English at UG in 2000, I minored in History, and the research done opened my eyes to many rewrites of our history. During this time, I participated in the Inter-Collegiate debates as a representative for UG in Barbados, and informally spoke with several professors and scholars from the Americas and the Caribbean. They all saw Burnham’s move as brilliant and bold in light of the repercussions from the superpower of the day.
For Peeping Tom to negate this ground-breaking achievement is tantamount to saying Burnham was not a leader in the formation of Caricom via the Treaty of Chaguaramas.
I say give Jack his jacket and Jill her petticoat. Enough of the history rewrites!
Stan Gouveia

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