Dear Editor,
I will not be able to attend the function tomorrow for the 43rd Anniversary of the Cubana Air Tragedy because I will be out of Guyana.
But even after 43 years, the relatives of the Guyanese students and others, who perished in the Cubana de Aviacion Airlines, Flight 455, must feel the pain and anguish of losing their young ones, who I hope after training, would have returned to serve the people of Guyana.
I remember that day as if it happened yesterday. The news was so shocking, that apart from contacting relatives and trying to understand the work of demonic forces, I could not do much more that day.
As we journey to the function at University of Guyana, Turkeyen, I ask that all citizens of every side of the social and political divide, consider the futility of violence.
These occasions, should serve as lessons to the young and old, that nothing can be more important; that individuals, families, communities and nation states find ways to talk, to settle, perceive differences and opinions.
Failure to find a middle ground has been the tragedy in all human history and I wonder if there is something the Creator missed to allow this stupidity, stress and pain to continue seemingly unabated.
Our religious organisations, our business and commercial entities, the mass media must devote more of their energies to healing wounds engineered for many decades so that our people can truly exhale and inhale breaths of fresh air from a truly green environment.
You see, it is so easy to talk about what you believe is wrong and unjust and many of our people are experts at knowing what is wrong with the Government and Opposition. If we are to benefit from our vast resources, we must be able to make a reality of our Motto of being One People, One Nation with One Destiny.
Incidentally, because of some gloom or pessimism, very few of our Leaders remind us of this vision, which we articulated at Independence, of being a wholesome Nation.
This is our real challenge and our babies must ask us adults, ‘Can we do it?’
I hope our Leaders in business, in religion and in particular, politics can fruitfully and with confidence tell them “yes we can.”
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green
