Dear Editor,

I am surprised that SN saw it fit to publish Mr Lomarsh Roopnarine’s letter (27.10.08) calling for the secession of Berbice. At this juncture in Guyana’s history when there is an everyday struggle to hold the nation together and when Berbice’s next-door neighbour (Suriname) is bullying us, I see that letter as treason.

Because the letter-writer went to some other country and lectured them on secession, is no authority for him to instigate such mischief in our dear land. We are seeing the construction of a bridge across the Berbice River, a modernized sugar factory at Skeldon, a university campus in Berbice, state of the art medical units all over the country, decentralising of the Georgetown Hospital, yet Mr Roopnarine in his anti-nationalist posturing writes that Berbice is neglected as compared to other parts of Guyana.

Is he not honest enough to understand that most of the infrastructure in Guyana was handed over like that by the colonial masters. Timehri airport was there probably before he was even born.

This is exactly what the Suriname authorities need in their fight over Guyana’s sovereignty: a disenchanted Berbice populace which will be willing to join with them, because Roopnarine says they are being neglected.

One cannot help thinking of Kashmir which is struggling to secede from India so that it can team up with Pakistan. One wonders what is the real motive of this writer.

Yours faithfully,
H Nauth