Dear Editor,
I was among a large gathering of responsible, high-profile Guyanese and others attending the reception hosted by the US government to celebrate its 238th Anniversary of Independence. Additionally it was in a sense also to bid farewell to the US Ambassador D Brent Hardt and his wife Saskia. After the Ambassador delivered his address which dealt with his country’s experience with democracy, and the importance of local democracy and mayors, etc, our representative, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Priya Manickchand, took to the podium and delivered an embarrassing verbal assault on the Ambassador and the American government. It was so vile and disgraceful that the gathering of decent people booed her and expressed their disgust and horror at the remarks.
This reaction did not come from a mobilized or rent-a-crowd operation, as oft times seem organized by the PPP activists; these were all responsible persons.
In all of my six decades of public service, never before did I witness such a spontaneous reaction to what is normally a staid and dignified event, but it was just too much for the gathering to endure. I heard the PPP government representative complain about external pressure and interference. How could anyone in the PPP complain?
It was the PPP that visited India, Africa and Europe seeking external help when our constitution was suspended in 1953. In the ’60s they also canvassed external help. Recently it was the PPP that enlisted the active support of US President Jimmy Carter to, as they put it, restore democracy in Guyana. Now that they are brutalizing democracy by delaying local government elections, among many other acts, how come all of a sudden they feel that external “pressure,” as they put it, is wrong?
The open display is a good sign, and I congratulate those present. Plato, the classical Greek philosopher , said “Your silence gives consent”; while Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr, the American Civil Rights Leader said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Come on Guyana, young Guyanese, temples, masjids, churches, youth groups and women – speak up; last Wednesday night could be the start of an avalanche to bring this minority government to its senses. It may be the catalyst for others to speak up fearlessly.
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green
Mayor
