Dear Editor,
SN seems far too eager to revel in the quagmire, where Guyana has finally ended up at this time. Your columns are ceaseless in their paranoia about Guyana’s ethnic divide which has engendered short-sighted and blinkered proliferations from various competing groups inside and outside of Guyana. Sadly the subject has become commentators’ single most important preoccupation; it has shackled the future of the Guyanese people since the advent of Independence, and it is continuing to be a major stumbling block to their future development. It has been ruthlessly exploited since Independence by the political elite. And this has degenerated into political intrigue, conspiracy, chicanery, lawlessness and violence. Cloaked in its various manifestations it has provided much fertile ground for coverage in reams of newsprint.
Despite the constant barrage which sets out to destroy the very fragile cohesion that is keeping Guyana’s multi-ethnic communities together, it has failed miserably over the decades to destroy the battered hopes of her diverse people. Yet there are many who have fervent wishes out there on the streets, and an abundance of goodwill. If you care to look and are so inclined, you can redirect your thrust towards a much better future for a remodelled Guyana. A majority of the silent ones are deeply committed to the harmony of cultures and ethnicities living side by side. The fact is that this harmony is alive and still kicking out there, and has yet to be pronounced dead.
Colonial rule was abhorred by those past leaders who had promised Utopia on getting their hands on power. They were unable to deliver on their false promises. They also found it far more profitable to indulge in the propagation of the ethnic divide, the only legacy they seemed capable of bequeathing to the people of Guyana. It is also a sad fact that the present crop of leaders and politicians in Guyana seem to have been hampered by the same brainwashing, and have nurtured the same useless concepts. They seem oblivious to the damage being inflicted upon the people, who are taken for granted and treated with contempt.
The old colonial masters would have sneered at unleashing such terrible divisions in their present form. However, the fact remains that it was the same vital tool within their toolbag, which they had skillfully deployed to keep control over their workers. Their strategy involved unleashing the concept smoothly and seamlessly. The colonial rulers had no motive to destroy the multiracial society which they had created and had milked for centuries to create the wealth for a developed Europe. There were few incentives for them to indulge in racial divisions among their workers. This would have run counter to profiteering. Under colonial rule there was far more harmony among the different ethnic communities than ever existed after Independence. Furthermore, ethnicity was never perceived by the colonial populace in Guyana as divisive, and neither did it invite major culture clashes.
Our astute politicians, however, were quick to discover the crucial value of this tool and they have used it ruthlessly to perpetuate their stranglehold in pursuit of their own self interest. The ordinary people became the ones to bear the burden and the ones to pay the heavy penalties demanded by the new exploiters. Thus far they have ended up in far more dire straits than they did with any perceived yoke which the colonial rulers may have placed around their necks. But the resolve of the ordinary Guyanese has yet to be broken.
The US contributed much to the present day controversy. Give credit where it is due, however, they have also expressed their misgivings and regrets for their cold war intervention in Guyana. Now they seem to be doing their utmost to ensure Guyana does not sink beyond the point of no return. Such a vacuum would create far-reaching repercussions, especially among those neighbouring states which are harboring territorial claims over most of Guyana. Guyana is left strangled by these claims and has been prevented from developing its natural resources to benefit its people. But our politicians seem to play blind on the issue. Obviously they are adhering to a different agenda, one which serves their real, short-sighted interests.
The lawlessness and violence which can no longer be contained domestically are due to the divisive rot that is setting in. It seems to have now spilled over to occupy international dimensions. Guyana is now under the microscope in the US courts. Some of the hidden symptoms of a sickly country will thus be open to scrutiny.
Guyana can hardly provide justice for its ordinary people at this time, let alone handle high profile cases like the Roger Khan affair, even if all the conspiracy theories are all false.
With the massive backlog of cases awaiting hearing, Guyanese are forced to wait many years for any chance of justice.
The media should have been in the forefront of leading the march towards more harmony and justice in Guyana. Unwittingly, they seem also to indulge in the sensationalism of the ethnic divide as opposed to fulfilling the mundane wishes of most ordinary people and their hopes for a better future.
Yours faithfully,
Mac Mahase
