Dear Editor,
Economic isolation and sanctions by a government against its own people are a form of mental imprisonment and induce a kind of claustrophobia which ignites in the suffering population a passion which erupts into a freedom movement that will always be unstoppable. The insidious attacks on unarmed civilians – men, women and children – have produced an iron-clad conviction that freedom is worth fighting for. In the US marine corps intelligence publication, Urban Warfare Study of 1999 the following is said:
“Military actions cannot solve deep-seated political problems“; and “It is difficult to get well-defined policy objectives to which the military can work steadily and logically.”
After twenty years of political mismanagement and underdevelopment the Government of Guyana has resorted to military operations as a tool in solving domestic political issues – pathetic and tragic.
It‘s 2 am at Wismar; three dim lights in the midst of a sea of darkness are the only evidence that there are structures ahead. Three tents stand defiant among the heaps of metal and broken vehicles, populated by numberless residents.
The scene paints a picture of sadness but also the resolve of a people willing to stand up because enough is enough. Some are asleep on the bare ground with sheets of newspaper for bedding; others huddle using cardboard and bits of everything to keep warm. As the moon appears, outlined against the fading light groups of men and women sit under the open sky, tired but watchful. I make my way closer to the Wismar bridge, the scene of the infamous killings, the place where the blood of the innocent was shed; three men in uniform stir nervously at my approach. Young men who would have better served Guyana in some productive area cursed and swore bitterly about being in Wismar; many of them are asking, why are we here?
Why were we there, while most of the nation were in their warm beds asleep, some having a good time in bars in the city, others sitting snugly in front of their television sets? What would drive men and women from their homes to endure such harsh conditions? Children now accustomed to being burnt and tormented by tear smoke, households going to bed in a state of mental readiness because at any moment the peace can be shattered by the crack of glass from police pellets or the nauseating pungent odour of gas – why do we stand up?
In 1992 the entrance of the PPP as the national government was the beginning of economic and social discrimination against the people of Region10 unprecedented in the history of Guyana. Political journeymen were resurrected and scrubbed to fit all of the local boards that managed the affairs of Linden. In the midst of seasoned intelligentsia, overnight the unlearned were now installed in Region 10. Agriculture was the next target. The Berbice River farmers kept Linden opulent where agricultural produce was concerned, but the government saw it fit to sell the only boat that kept the farmers resourced, and which transported their produce to market. This was supported by what I called the black bag policy, where the Agriculture Minister in bringing support to Linden farmers saw it fit to do so via a black plastic bag.
The Regional Democratic Council year after year worked with a shoestring budget, deliberately set to have us beg whenever there was need, and this was often. While the region was won by the opposition the government stranglehold was accomplished through the administration, since everything was centrally controlled. Why are we out fighting, why are we not prepared to play ball any more? Why have we endured unlawful killings, tear gas, police pellets and other forms of brutality and are still resolute?
The people have simply had enough, and no amount of military action can stand between any people and freedom. That is why we in Linden are standing defiant, resolved that this poverty must end; we have had enough.
We demand the right to economic freedom and self determination. We demand to choose our own local leaders. We demand to choose who should manage our local boards. We demand as human beings a television station free from political dissociative disorder. We demand to see our children and loved ones enjoy the good life that a select few and their families enjoy. We demand to live under God‘s heaven free from the nepotism and corruption that has enveloped our beloved Guyana. We demand to be able to work and develop Region 10. The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices: to cower and submit or to stand up. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to stand up using all legal means within our power in defence of our people, our future and our freedom. We the people of Linden have always sought to achieve economic and social freedom without bloodshed and a civil clash; this time is no different. We hope even at this late hour that our actions of protest will awaken everyone to a realization of the disastrous situation to which government policy is leading.
Finally, out of our continued extraordinary negative human experiences that have lasted so long must be born a society in which all must be free. We will experience political emancipation as we pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination. We will win through God‘s grace. We will.
Yours faithfully,
Renis Morian MP
Wismar Linden
