Dear Editor,

During the last two decades a number of very important events have taken place around the world that have seen changes in situations that many of us thought were impossible to change. These events brought tears and joy to millions of people. For me I was very happy to be around to witness these events unfolding on television.

The first was the release from prison of Mr Nelson Mandela which paved the way for the apartheid system in South Africa to come to an end and the election of Mr Mandela as the first black President of South Africa.

Then came the breaking down of the Berlin Wall in Germany. This wall had separated Germany into East and West, and for decades the people lived separated under two political systems with families on either side of the wall longing to be united and to live in one Germany. The breaking up of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was another major world event that many people thought they would not live to see.

Then now in 2008 what most of us thought would have been highly impossible has become a reality, and that of course is the election of America’s first black President-elect, Mr Barack Obama. But there are many other situations around the world that I would like to see change very soon. First of all I would love to see the day when the people of my homeland Guyana would choose their leaders not by the colour of their skin or the texture of their hair but based on the policies which they represent. I’m praying for the day when all the people of Guyana would live in love and unity and not be guided by race. It is my sincere wish that very soon the people of Cuba would be free and we would witness an end to the dictatorship policies of the Government of Cuba, and that the people of Cuba would be able to vote in a free and fair election and thus bring an end to the economic embargo imposed on the island by the USA.

During my lifetime I would like to see the people of Korea united, bringing an end to North and South Korea and establishment of one Korean Republic. These are just a few things I would like to see happen − and very soon. Again they may seem impossible, but I’ve learnt from President-elect Barack Obama that nothing is impossible.
Yours faithfully,
Clive Fredericks