Dear Editor,
As a patriotic Guyanese, no matter where in the world I am, I find it many times disconcerting when Guyanese who have settled in the USA keep on disparaging their country in some way. This is to my mind not only unpatriotic, but displays a crass ingratitude to the country whence they derived their roots, not to mention a blatant disregard of any obligation to give back something to this nation.
I know that many of these emigrants do contribute to the welfare of their relatives by sending cash and goods, but I feel this hardly makes up for the bad talk which I witness from many of them. It is also true that Guyanese have excelled in their work situations, and used the values which were in-grown to accumulate wealth and otherwise uplift themselves financially and acquire possessions which they probably never dreamed of having in the country of their birth. But I also see instances when they have forgotten these values and adopted the negative elements of the American way of life, which can lead to inordinate spending, waste, and neglect of any form of spirituality in their lives.
I believe there are still many avenues by which the diaspora can contribute to the development of this country as a whole, and to individual citizens who are not so well endowed. I myself am working on some ideas to achieve this, and I shall be delighted if others can express such a desire so that we can act together to improve the lot of our fellow Guyanese.
Yours faithfully,
Roy Paul
