Dear Editor,

I wish to ask our Indo and Afro-Guyanese peoples to get to know each other again, like the way it was before the 1960′s when dirty politics drove us somewhat apart. I am not saying “let us get along”.

That would be just a weak statement of accommodating each other. We need to get to know one another again.

The Koran says: “God created different tribes and nations so that we may learn to know each other”.

I remember seeing a movie named “Guiana – 1838″ which portrayed the story of the first ship that brought East Indians to the then British Guiana. The freed African slaves were very apprehensive and uncomfortable about this new set of people coming to the land where they have been for a few hundred years.

However, when they got to know each other, they realised how much they had in common, and the two races started to respect and trust each other.

Things were like that until the early 1960′s when some of our politicians drove a wedge between these two hard working races. Since then, things have not changed even until today. There is so much distrust and division between the two major races who have shaped this great land.

Let us learn to know each other again and develop trust and mutual respect for each other, and the other races as well.

We are all Guyanese, and like it or not this is our land where we all have to live. So let us live in peace and harmony.

Then we will achieve much more progress. There is no place like home.

Please let us stop paying attention to the few hatemongers who are still around.

Yours faithfully,

R Khan