Poison of race must be frontally addressed by an enlightened and all-embracing approach

Dear Editor,

Black History Month is currently being celebrated in the United States of Ameri-ca, Canada and the United Kingdom.

In the United States, the celebration is an annual event that evokes and reignites the Black consciousness and civil rights movement in that country.

African American History Month celebration assumes various forms such as concerts, exhibitions, plays, lectures and talks in schools, colleges, Universities and other public institutions in all the States of America.

The United States is a country with a rich history of African Americans’ freedom struggles against slavery, Jim Crow, the Klu Klux Klan, the House Un-American Activities Committee, the ideology of White Supremacy.

Struggles were also waged in defence of African Americans’ economic, civil and political rights and to secure their rightful place in the annals of contemporary history of Black freedom struggles in America.

No one can deny that through the decades African Americans have excelled in every area of human endeavour in their home country. Their achievements are manifested in the field of politics, law, science, law enforcement, medicine, the humanities, literature, art and sport just to mention a few.

America had its first African American president and many African Americans populate the United States Congress and to a lesser extent the Senate.

The stellar achievements of African Americans notwithstanding, swathes of poverty, unemployment, social disintegration and the absence of basic social services persist in a number of depressed African American communities across the United States.

The struggles of African Americans and African Guyanese evoke memories of a common heritage of the experiences of centuries of struggle against colonial oppression. It is therefore natural that a bond of solidarity which unites the oppressed and exploited of every country irrespective of race creates a special affinity amongst them.

The significance of Black History Month for Guyana must be viewed against the backdrop of the ongoing struggle against racial and political discrimination against any group that feels affected and for good governance under the banner of national unity.

National unity will continue to be elusive unless there is full and equal representation and participation in all aspects of political, economic and social governance of our country.

National division has still not healed.

Disunity has weakened the efforts to build our country more rapidly and to accomplish greater achievements that are sustainable and people-centred.

In the circumstances, consideration should be given to: Respect and tolerance to the customs and cultures of the ethnic groups that make up our society; Passing legislation preventing discriminatory practices in all its manifestations; Shunning, condemning and avoiding hate and race propaganda, speeches and comments; Being fair and even-handed in treating with every Guyanese; Upholding the equal opportunity issue; Willingness to discuss and debate issues that affect our society and communities; Adhering to democratic norms and practices and being guided by inclusiveness; Encouraging religious, workers, youth and cultural and other organizations to make significant contributions to national unity.

These goals will not be accomplished should one ethnic group travel separate and apart from others and seek to establish its dominance over other ethnic groups. Nor will they be accomplished by pursuing race-based strategies.

Unless social cohesion is elevated to political and economic cohesion at a national level, government-sponsored development projects will be counterproductive especially when perceived to be politically motivated and ethnically engineered to usher in benefits exclusively to a particular ethnic group.

The poison of race, which continues to be a central question of our time and which permeates almost every facet of our political, and, to a lesser extent,our social and cultural life, must be frontally addressed by an enlightened and all-embracing approach.

As elections season draws near, fresh calls are being made for ‘an agreement by the two major political parties to stop fueling ethnic insecurity’ and to ‘sensibly reconcile the ethnic divide.’

Further, reference has been made to the ‘young generations who lack leadership and appear to be teetering on a psychological precipice.’

This situation, coupled with lamentations that ‘the lack of opportunities are discouraging young remigrants’ who are desirous of ‘helping their country’ do not augur well for our country’s robust development.

Moreover, it is to be regretted that at this time when Black History Month is being celebrated the APNU+AFC has decided to throw its supporters into battle behind a ‘survival programme’ utilizing its demand for a new voters list as a pretext to extend its life in office.

This is a clear subterfuge aimed at short-circuiting the rule of law and at manipulating its supporters to thwart the Court’s ruling to uphold the consequences of the No Confidence Motion.

Further, constant harping on the so-called period of the ‘Troubles’ reeks of racist innuendos, ethnic hubris and divisiveness by its very nature.

Yours faithfully,

Clement J. Rohee