Dear Editor,
Earlier this week my sister and I visited the City Council’s office, Princes Street. I was extremely impressed that within five minutes of presenting the information, the clerk was able to go through her books and not only tell me the exact spot where my aunt and grandmother were buried, but was also able to give me unsolicited, the year and month of the burial of my great grandmother for which I was extremely grateful. The clerk then offered for a young man to go with my sister and me to identify the spot.
The very first thing that I observed was that the young man donned a pair of long boots. We were quite confident that we would be able to identify the spot since it was located at the top of Cemetery Road and was always very visible. It is difficult for me to express the horror which confronted us when we arrived at the Cemetery. There was a considerable quantity of bush, hence, no graves were visible in sight. The young man took the paper and attempted to find the spot but returned to tell us that the area was inundated with water, and it would be difficult to identify the spot.
As a child, I remember my grandmother taking us often to clean and weed the area, since she told us that that is where her mother was buried, and she had purchased the spot for family burial. There are a number of things which I ponder in view that Guyana is now an emerging wealthy country doing its best to attract investors. There is a saying that that one can tell much about a country from the way they treat their dead. Le Repentir is the most prominent burial ground in Guyana, and I simply shudder to imagine the thoughts of “investors” if they have to traverse this area.
I question if any member of the Government or of the upper echelons of society would be comfortable laying their dead to rest in a festering muddy swamp hosting broken and in some cases, open tombs. Please note that cremation is not a choice of everyone and not many church yards have burial grounds. I know that I am not the only Guyanese distressed about this situation but have heard of no recent attempt to rectify this disgraceful situation. So, does this mean that this state of affairs will continue indefinitely for the voiceless and powerless? It is my sincere hope that the competent authorities will give immediate consideration to address this matter.
Sincerely,
(Name and Address Provided)
