Dear Editor,
Another Emancipation Day celebration is upon us in Guyana, and the significance of this momentous event in this particular year has impacted on numerous Guyanese, but notably those of African descent. One hundred and seventy-three years after emancipation, and forty-five years after Independence, ethnic imbalance is clearly evident in many enclaves. I will leave the failure of the Ethnic Relations Commission for others to pronounce on; suffice it to say, for me personally it was doomed from the beginning.
Editor, I have long held the view that the solution to our ethnic dilemma would dwell in our education system, from nursery to university. About one year ago, whenever the decision arose, I posed questions to several young adults and students in my community about the history of this blessed country of ours. It slowly dawned on my consciousness what is being played out in Guyana.
Let us have a national discourse on ethnic relations; let the historical distortions be heard and let the truth then prevail. For instance, it is imperative that we examine the following:
What became of the first batch of Indians who were brought to these shores before the system of Indentureship was institutionalized? Despite the freed slave’s ability to save money and purchase plantations for villages, why was his business acumen stifled and denied; his attempted entrepreneurial ambition frowned upon and credit contemptuously refunded, while the Portuguese and to a lesser extent the Chinese were favourably accommodated? The result, enmity.
How much have cultural differences or otherwise impacted on the various ethnic groupings in Guyana? This discourse is long overdue.
Has the economic condition of our indigenous population improved comparatively speaking, under present and past administrations? Last, but not least, was the 1763 rebellion as critical to the Emancipation process as that of 1823?
Yours faithfully,
Lloyd Davidson
