Dear Editor,
The analysis of the political response, or lack of, it to the ethnic instability in Guyana as was expressed by Claudius Prince in his letter, “The politicians invent silly reasons for not talking to each other”, is very much in line with what I believe is the position. Reference is made to my previous letter, “There is a need to create trust among the races, Moses Bhagwan’s proposal should be considered”.
Claudius Prince has shown in his letter why we cannot expect the PPP or the PNC to be able to successfully approach or resolve the problems within the two major ethnic groups. Maybe the mistake a lot of us are making is to expect government to initiate this process when all are of the view that the government has no incentive for that approach.
Ethnic stability has to be initiated by the people themselves piloted by sympathetic interest groups or persons. The AFC has a great opportunity to take the lead here, which would be very beneficial to them in the long run. The media can also lead this initiative. There are many possibilities and this could be done outside of Government or political bureaucracy. Have symposiums, have meetings and discussions with representatives of ordinary citizens. There is not enough militancy from humanitarian groups to get rid of this racial tension and insecurity.
The way I see this is that while we must immediately pursue different ways to solve the crime situation, ethnic stability is also very important and should work hand in hand if we are going to eradicate the glaring crimes we see today, and have a chance at development.
Mr. Moses Bhagwan has opened the door or at least laid a foundation for a discussion with his article. Mr. Bhagwan should be called on to expand on his proposal for ethnic stability. He may not have all the answers but if many heads are put together an approach can and would be identified. There is too much silence on what I see to be a creditable approach.
Yours faithfully,
F Skinner
