Dear Editor,
I attended the opening of the Religious Leaders Conference hosted by the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) last week. First, the ERC can be commended for bringing together our religious leaders to talk. I believe in the utility of dialogue, to secure harmony through understanding for our society. I wish also to compliment Rev Kenrick Corbin for his graciousness when he delivered the vote of thanks.
Beyond this let me make some observations which may very well be part of an unconscious or a deliberate rewriting of our history, but perhaps just as unfortunate, a total lack of knowledge.
The ERC Chairman, Bishop Juan Edghill at the start of his address and with great gusto thundered it was the first time that religious leaders were being brought together in Guyana.
Not true – He is obviously unaware of the wide consultations with the religious community which led to the previous administration giving official/legal recognition to the Hindu, Muslim and non-traditional faiths in Guyana, thus removing the discriminatory practices which we inherited. Hence the major Hindu, Islamic festivals and other historic festivals and dates, were made public holidays for all to share. Of course those consultations did not have the hype, PR cash, staff and the ambience of a beautiful Convention Centre, built and donated by our Chinese friends.
In any event it’s a little like Rip Van Winkle for the ERC to boast after all those years for such a first. They are yet to explain the role of the Indian Arrival Committee hosting Eidfest when the first Muslims to arrive in the country were Africans, and why the high level of government representation at this event, while no government persons showed up a few days later at the ACDA Holocaust Day event to honour the millions of Africans who perished in the Atlantic Crossing? Was the ERC asleep?
May I add that even in those days and before, Guyana has no history of serious religious conflict. There of course, always existed and still exist prejudices. We need to avoid confusing race with religion.
All we now ask is that we share the truth with our young people and those who were neither involved, nor are yet to understand, all of the facts of our past, and forces that caused things to happen in Guyana before and at present. What is driving immorality and crime? We need to speak only the truth after thorough research.
I regard both the Bishop and the President at a personal level as friends, and at the risk of sounding narcissistic I am prepared to offer them freely, my experience, and knowledge of Guyana, and its recent history.
For us to share all, not some of the past is a guarantee for an accommodating present and a peaceful future.
We want peace, but let us have the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green, JP
