Dear Editor,
I am dismayed and hurt as a member of the worldwide Anglican community and a Guyanese, at the disposal of the St Barnabas church and one hundred and twenty-seven years of our history. The explanation that the diocese is strapped for cash and that the building had become unsafe requiring its disposal is a shameful demonstration of the lack of acumen and leadership in the Anglican community. Could not the diaspora have been asked to help? Could not a trust have been established worldwide to raise funds to repair and preserve the church? Could not the Guyanese community have been asked to come up with suggestions for preserving our history? The contribution of the Anglican church to the building of the Guyanese society is significant and encompasses education, culture, landmarks and historical sites; all Guyanese therefore have a say in what happens to our historical relics. It is also a classic symbol of callousness and greed that a businessman would think little of history, tradition and culture and hasten to tear down the church and put up a common shopping mall for the sake of cheap commerce. The Anglican leadership has displayed the worst form of intellectual impotence, has deprived subsequent generations of their rightful legacy and exhibited the very mindless disregard for history and tradition which has destroyed so many of Georgetown’s beautiful buildings and other relics. There must be a way even at this stage that this travesty can be stopped, and I call on the Mayor and other concerned citizens in Guyana and overseas to publicly register their objections to this disgraceful action. The Bishop and those who have visited this tragedy upon us should step aside.
Yours faithfully,
Abiola Inniss
