Dear Editor,
Two hundred and forty-eight years ago, on a plantation in Berbice, Cuffy and several of his comrades challenged the status quo, striking out at their Dutch masters. What ensued would later be called the Berbice revolution of 1763, a defining moment in the history of the Republic of Guyana. In 1948 Lallabagie, Dookie, Rambarran, Harry and Pooran, were shot by British colonial police while demonstrating for better working conditions. These brave men will forever be known as the Enmore Martyrs. On February 26, 2011 the struggle for freedom and democracy in Guyana took another step forward as the PNCR successfully completed the first primary elections. Mr Robert Corbin and members of the PNCR executive must be complimented for shepherding this process and seeing it through to a successful conclusion. The candidates who participated should all be complimented; they were all worthy patriotic citizens, fully qualified and prepared for the position they sought. But there could only be one winner, and on this day it was Brigadier (rtd) David Arthur Granger.
In his acceptance speech Brig Granger in true military fashion called for a muster. A muster in military parlance is to gather troops/forces (or persons); it is a call for people to come together, to collect; to assemble; to gather. In the military, commanders give the mustered troops a clear mission, and all the information, equipment and supplies necessary to carry it out. Saturday night the mission as spelled out by the new PNCR presidential candidate was to rescue the Republic of Guyana, and deliver it safely and more prosperous to the next generation.
This rescue mission will be waged along the coast and banks of all the major rivers in Guyana. People will be sent to the far reaches of the interior of the country, and some will even be mustered in the diaspora. The message will be simple: it is time for all Guyanese regardless of race, social status, religious or political conviction to work together for the betterment of our country. There are others who will be deployed to win the hearts and minds of the apathetic and marginalized, bringing them back into the fold, and coalition emissaries will be deployed to explore commonality and ways to work together to achieve the mission. The politics of accommodation, mutual cooperation, fence-mending and bridge-building will all be major tasks.
David Granger’s call to muster must be answered by all patriotic Guyanese who yearn for the return of good governance, national unity, security and economic stability. He has said on numerous occasions that his goal is to rebuild and diversify the economy, providing a safe and secure environment for the investor, and good well-paying jobs for the unemployed and the under-employed. He intends to reintroduce a voluntary National Service to retrain our youth to enter the mainstream economy; he will make security a national priority, retraining and retooling the national security apparatus to meet the challenges of modern day crime. He wants the ‘good life’ for all who call Guyana home.
Finally this is an honourable man, who has served at the highest levels of our armed forces. He will restore respect and dignity to the office of the presidency, and trust and integrity in government. He wants to be President of all Guyanese regardless of race, religion, gender, social status or political affiliation. So let us heed the call to muster, and as we go forth on this mission let us not forget that we do this not only for ourselves but for our children and generations to come.
Yours faithfully,
Mark A Archer
