Dear Editor,
Over the weekend at functions held in the New York Tri-State and attended by first and second generation Guyanese, a sprinkling of visitors, still-at-home Guyanese and fellow travellers, I boasted proudly how in late November, Guyana will not only be hosting the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) meeting, but will assume its chairmanship. Without exception, the reaction was “So?” The majority queried, “What is that?” One less polite lady blurted “So what! Is it a big deal?”
With the internet, the ease of Skype and the telephone, it is safe to assume that the great majority of resident Guyanese families keep in touch with their kith and kin overseas. The fact that this conference is little known by so many is an indictment against all of us.
The state operatives need to set aside real and perceived differences to allow, in a structured but non partisan manner, information to flow to citizens about our history, so that conferences such as UNASUR not only show off our hospitality, but are a tool to connect our nation with its past, give our people a sense of kinship with the present and provide our youths in particular with the intellectual base and spiritual vigour to proceed boldly into a rapidly changing world as one people with one destiny. Of course, some will ask, what is Guyana, the only English-speaking country of ¾ million souls doing at a gathering of Spanish and one Portuguese-speaking nations. Will our membership weaken, strengthen or compromise the Caricom integration process.
To begin, Guyana and even smaller Suriname are the only two countries with so few inhabitants compared to Argentina – 42 million; Bolivia – 10 million; Brazil – 192 million; Chile – 17 million; Colombia – 45 million; Ecuador – 14 million; Paraguay – 7 million; Peru – 30 million; Uruguay – 4 million; Venezuela – 27 million; Total – 388 million.
But this is not an entirely new situation; be reminded of the history of the West Indies and Caricom. After World War I (1914-1918) our new intellectuals and nationalists argued for or against a confederation of the West Indies versus annexation to the emerging giant USA. Memories of Theodore Roosevelt and the fleet showing the US flag across the Pacific at the dawn of the century, may have influenced those who argued for annexation to the US, what with the perceived benefits of being a part of the US.
Due to the post World War II, anti-colonial struggle fed by Gandhi and Nehru of India, Kwami Nkruma of the Gold Coast (Ghana), the ‘burning spear’ Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, and in our region Bustamante, Eric Williams, Vere T Bird, Cheddi Jagan, Errol Barrow, Forbes Burnham and Norman Manley, the clear option was independence for each of the colonies. The next question of integration was settled, led by the three visionaries – the Big Bs – Forbes Burnham, Vere Bird and Errol ‘Dipper’ Barrow at Dickinson Bay in 1965, where the foundation for Caribbean integration was firmly laid.
Guyana’s history is therefore intimately bound up with these islands of the Caribbean, but its location on the South American continent always made it a little different or perhaps unique.
Earlier, in Guyana, there was a stout call for Guyana to establish links with its immediate neighbours on the continent. That call was led by the late Jai Narine Singh who contended that we had a ‘continental destiny’ and not a West Indian destiny; he tried without success to get the political leaders to adopt the idea. For his continued advocacy of a continental destiny, Jai Narine Singh was awarded Venezuela’s highest honour.
When war drums were beating dangerously loud between Venezuela and Guyana over the border controversy, Jai Narine Singh felt he could help, but was reluctant to raise this directly with Forbes Burnham. Rather, he chose to discuss it with me. I discussed his offer with Forbes Burnham, and without hesitating, Burnham gave the go ahead. Jai was delighted; he travelled to Caracas, immediately. The mission was successful, bolstered by other circumstances, citizens who lived through that period may not know how, but felt relieved that suddenly the noises from the war drums were muted; the rest is history.
In a sense, therefore, this UNASUR meeting should be of interest to every patriot, and student of history.
For better or for worse, Guyana with an equal number in Region 11 needs to be reminded that South America has a population of nearly 400 million with a GDP of nearly 2.2 trillion US dollars. When we pronounce on the environment. South American has one of the largest secure fresh water reserves in the world. The lungs of the world are there with the Amazon rain forest. This in a sense regulates the global, ecological equilibrium.
Thank God that a previous administration took the bold step to establish the Iwokrama project, which is seen as a flagship in a world concerned about the future of our planet. Truly a model for the world.
Further, should Guyana be part of what is now seen as a challenge to the Western hemisphere? Or a new EU concept? Or should we at UNASUR argue not to isolate Guyana from our traditional blood brothers and sisters in Caricom but advance a case that South America nations ought to go beyond the physical geography to include Trinidad, Barbados, etc, and truly go ‘south of the border.’ These are the exciting things to be debated by our schools, politicians and universities. Let folks such as Rashleigh Jackson, Rudy Insanally, Bryn Pollard, Philip Allsopp, Carmen Jarvis and those who have been around long enough, help. Perhaps, if we know more of yesterday, we can advance stronger into tomorrow as one people.
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green JP
