Independence Reflections

May 26, 2025 Letters

Dear Mr. Editor,

Fifty-nine years ago, Guyana became an independent state. At that time, we had the most beautiful city in the West Indies and the brightest minds in the West Indies, for instance, J.F. Haynes and Sonny Ramphal.

Guyana had the best tradesmen in the West Indies; Afro-Guyanese were the best carpenters, masons, joiners and every other trade you can think about except for goldsmiths, they were mostly East Indians, and the Portuguese had clock and watch repair.

Back then, five Guyana dollars were equal to one British pound, and that is how the five dollars was reformed as a pound. Guyanese were among the best sportsmen and women; Rohan Kanhai, Lance Gibbs, and Roy Federick –cricket, George Depena (athletics), lan MacDonald- long tennis, Martin Dias- weightlifting.

We even had some of the best students in the West Indies; our G.C.E. scores were excellent.

That was until around the 1970s or around 1985, when there was a movement towards an all-around improvement. Guyanese were once the best-dressed people in the West Indies, second only to Jamaicans. Our men and women, some of them are dressed too lawlessly, you do not know whether they are attending a funeral or a party.

And the way we use the road, Editor, let me tell you about 16 years ago, I visited India. The way they used the road was described as organized chaos. In Guyana, it’s organized lawlessness.

Sincerely,

Frank Debreu

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