Let’s speak with one voice to those who exploit our God given natural resources

Aug 26, 2022 Letters

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Dear Editor,

A popular column in the daily Argosy was titled, ‘Things that bother me’.

A few things bother me.

1) I was among those who earned the chagrin of many friends when in August 2020, I suggested that we give President Ali an opportunity to make good on his promise for good governance and transparency. I am therefore bothered that the perception is that notwithstanding the fine words of the commander in chief that he has failed to rein in the racist and lunatic fringe within his government.

Cardinal to a living democracy is the question of shared governance as manifested in our constitution, which clearly and unambiguously identifies the role of local government organs.

The ill treatment and disdain of our largest municipality Georgetown by the PPP/C Ali administration is anathema to shared governance and the lofty principles enshrined by the framers of our constitution and the upholding of the essence of a democratic state.

In other words, the PPP/C is shattering to bits the foundation upon which the pillars of a viable democracy rest.

In Guyana, the largest, oldest, and most significant local government entity is the municipality of Georgetown–the capital of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

Earlier this year, the minister responsible for housing, with pomp and ceremony announced government’s intention to establish a new capital in an area several miles south of the present capital.

It is to be known as the smart city. There was no meaningful consultation and I have reason to believe the honourable minister has not taken the trouble to read the excellent report prepared by Prof. Akbar Khan, a renowned town planner, who made an in depth analysis and presented feasible recommendations to the then minister of local government under the PPP/C administration.

This week, with equal aplomb, another minister proclaimed– and here I use the word proclaimed with its imperial connotation that government would be spending many millions to rehabilitate, identified areas in south Georgetown specifically naming Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt, and Albouystown where the residents will enjoy enhanced conditions and a better life.

The worrying aspect of both of these is that there has been no consultation with the Georgetown Mayor and City Council responsible for these areas.

To ease the pain of this announcement, I sang that old song’ Beautiful Dreamer.’

You ought not to embark on such projects without the insights and advice of the purported beneficiaries.

The decamping of Albouystown to parts of Laing Avenue in the post war period had its own challenges and lessons to be learnt.

Unlike a few generations earlier, this government has available substantial sums of money to correct the missteps made earlier.

One lesson which requires attention as happened in England and elsewhere is to study the acquired habits of residents and utilise trained personnel in programmes of education to employ a sort of re-education making use of community groups, religious organisations, health centres, community leaders and the schools from kindergarten up.

We seem somehow unable to learn from lessons.

2) Change in the human species designates one of the most conspicuous and most pervasive features of our sensory and introspective experience. However, throughout human history, the one thing that seems not to change is a tendency by rulers to dominate those they consider the lesser breed.

An effective and universal mechanism has always been to divide groups based on their religious beliefs, the colour of their skin, and the texture of their hair. What we call the old imperial method of divide and rule. Beyond that circumstances in Guyana suggest that the ugliness of an apartheid state is facing this beautiful land where with good governance, a moral rudder and the bounty of natural resources bestowed upon a population of less than a million. Therefore, every community, every family, every child, every adult should be free from want and enjoy living in the most prosperous country in the hemisphere. Why Guyanese leaders cannot learn from our history in Guyana and learn that unless our so-called six races can come together to face the old common documented imperialist philosophy, our natural God given resources will see us the victims of poverty and want.

Our history must be our guide. As we end emancipation month and enter the month to celebrate our Indigenous brothers and sisters, we need to be reminded that in a puckish way, history repeats itself and we must openly examine the pages of Guyana’s history and with good sense avoid us being the victims of another round of imperial policies and machinations.

When it suited the Dutch plantocracy, they used our Amerindian brothers to hunt the runaway slaves and paid them handsomely for the return of a severed right hand. Yet after emancipation, the Afro-Guyanese community instilled with Euro centric philosophy and religion were made to believe that our Amerindian brothers were of a lesser breed.

The 1969 Rupununi Uprising is a mere example of this tragedy. I am aware that to recall this and other incidents creates some discomfort but it should be recalled so that we avoid similarities even though methods may be different based on the existing environment.

In this regard, every ethnic grouping can relate horrors inflicted on them by the other people.

We see this week where minority Hindus are complaining of cruelties in Muslim dominated areas in Kashmir .We saw this in all of Europe, which led to the tragic two world wars of the twentieth century.

As we celebrate these months of Emancipation, Amerindian month, and Indian Arrival Day, we must call on government not to do anything to create division and as has happened before and seems to be happening now and lose sight of the real enemy whose craftsmanship is one of excellence adjusted over the years.

But as we see with oil, gas and gold, it is still in place and if we are not wise will flourish to the detriment of those we found here; and dishonour the sacrifice and suffering of our slave ancestors and disregard the indignity suffered particularly by our Indo-Guyanese immigrants. As a matter of fact to put it succinctly, as the late Yesu Persaud observed, ‘We came in different ships but we now in de the same boat’ may I now add: may we paddle together to the drum beat of the tassa drum, the congo drum, the Porto drum ,the Chinese drum, the Amerindian drum to a safe haven.

Let us get on our knees and thank the Creator for being resident in a country with no monsoons, no hurricanes, no volcanoes, no severe flooding and let us not take God’s kindness and bounty for granted.

To this generation of leaders, I ask you to stop behaving like urchins and work together so that we bequeath to succeeding generations a country where want and poverty are completely eliminated

At the risk of being repetitive, I again appeal to all of our leaders, and I repeat all, to set aside personal differences and talk so that we speak with one voice to those we welcome to exploit our God given natural resources so that Guyana really becomes a country of one people, one nation, one destiny.

Hamilton Green

Elder

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