Dear Editor,
Marking the centenary commemoration of the end of Indian abolition has become a most interesting exercise, moreso for the Indian Guyanese community.
Myself, Mr Ravi Dev and Swami Aksharananda were the objects of the usual spewing of hostility from Mr Freddie Kissoon in a column published by Kaieteur News on March 7, 2017.
Whether Mr Kissoon should be given a column to direct personal attacks in the name of responsible journalism is a consideration for his publishers, the Guyana Press Association, and the government itself which is currently involved in a nationwide programme to build social cohesion.
At the event held at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) which has attracted so much media attention, the Minister of Social Cohesion was present and heard our remarks as did other Ministers of Government and heads of diplomatic missions in Guyana.
That none of these intelligent and reasoned personages raised any alarm about our speeches inciting uprisings or societal explosions could be a good indicator that it was an occasion that offered few surprises, if any.
Neither Mr Dev nor 1 said anything new. In fact, we have been addressing these same concerns for years ‒ along with other leaders like Swami Aksharananda ‒ about Indian Guyanese marginalization. Newer ones like the closure of sugar estates at an event that speaks to Indian indentureship is hardly surprising cither.
What arose out of Mr Kissoon’s diatribe, however, was a decided fear among our community. He succeeded in getting Indians to pull back into their comers and fall silent. It always comes as a surprise that there are people who view Mr Kissoon as an intellectual and moral giant.
His success in managing to intimidate our community into silence, however, bears investigation on this historic centenary.
Are we still bound coolies allowing others to define us or are we free to think, analyse and speak for ourselves and about ourselves? In our divided country, there are agents with their various agendas who want us to retain our bound yard status and live in fear and silence. These include Mr Kissoon and others who feel that subsuming themselves to a national identity of oneness is the only future on offer.
The government and the opposition’s continuous message of respecting diversity is set aside as political rhetoric by these Indian Guyanese who might well be quite correct in their assumption. They feel very comfortable with their chosen status which opens doors for them in every area of Guyanese life. Our insistence on national recognition and respect for our Indian heritage and experience, therefore, makes them vastly uncomfortable.
The other section of the bound yard includes the Indian Guyanese who do understand our positions and agree with us fully but remain closeted for fear of reprisal and intimidation by Mr Kissoon and those of his ilk.
So much for our legacy of courage and resistance inherited from the many Indian heroes who fell right here on the sugar plantations in the struggle for justice.
The question for all Guyana is: when will Indian Guyanese be able to live as Indian Guyanese and without fear to think, speak and voice an opinion from their perspective without being condemned as racists?
This branding never occurs when Africans, Amerindians or any other group speaks on behalf of their communities. This is not a cry of victimhood but an observation about the obvious discrimination directed at the Indian Guyanese population and which is designed to keep us voiceless.
I wish to say to those Indian Guyanese who are fearful of embracing their ethnic identity: we left the bound yard one hundred years ago. We are free to give voice in music, dance, literature, etc, and to express ourselves. The next step would be the inclusion of these and other Indian Guyanese expressions on the national stage beyond the tokenism that now exists.
President David Granger in his address at Leonora last Sunday to mark the abolition centenary not only expressed his appreciation for the Indian contribution to Guyana’s development but assured us that we are very much part of a united Guyana.
This even as the state-owned Guyana Chronicle participates in the assault on myself, Mr Dev, and PPP MP Mr Adrian Anamayah who spoke on behalf of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo at the NCC event.
While this assault directly contradicts the President’s message of inclusion and respect for diversity, I want to believe that the President is sincere in his message to our community.
This should mean that all hate speech and bigotry directed at any individual or group should be condemned and should have no place in Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Ryhaan Shah
