Dear Editor,
When I received an email from a colleague inside the TUC in London informing me about today’s demonstration outside South Africa House in London, in support of the mine workers killed in South Africa and the dismissed bauxite workers in Guyana, my first thought was, why no mention of the slaughtered three at Linden.
Today, we are outraged at the killing of young Shaquille Grant. He was gunned down the day before yesterday by members of the Guyana Police Force in Agricola. He would have celebrated his 18th birthday, yesterday.
One ponders the effect of demonstrations at home and worldwide which are intended to bring to the attention of the global community, the human rights atrocities perpetrated on innocent citizens in Guyana. That our struggles have reached their highest peaceful peak seem to fall on deaf ears and eyes that refuse to look up.
Today, fellow human rights activists at home and abroad are questioning the roles and responsibilities of the APNU and AFC, the two key parties that make up the joint opposition and hold the majority seats in parliament. Justifiably, our concerns must be made before the people of Guyana and the wider world that our opposition leaders more than the government must be held responsible and accountable for the present human rights atrocities happening in Guyana.
The 2011 national elections saw the will of the people force the hand of change to save Guyana. In 2011 history recorded for us electoral unity and victory between the two fragmented races – Africans and Indians as they look beyond traditional race-based politics to save Guyana from corrupt rulers. We said enough is enough and handed power, majority power to our opposition leaders.
That our government holds a minority status and continues with violations unchecked tells us that opposition politicians are either compromised or are unwilling, for reasons only known to them, to hold the government genuinely accountable for its continued bad governance. Outside South Africa House, in London, our anger and protest must be directed at the opposition movement in both South Africa and Guyana.
I, like many others, grieve deeply at the senseless and continued killing by the police of African Guyanese. Today, we grieve for young Shaquille and send our condolences to his family and loved ones.
Yours faithfully,
Norman Browne
London
