Dear Editor,
Eric Moseley MS in his SN letter of February `Mr. Hinds’ ‘we must forget the past’ requires no further comment’ takes exception to a statement made by Mr Sam Hinds.
Mr Moseley there has to be some context in which Mr Hinds made that statement; other than the implied one, i.e. Black History Month.
Did Mr Hinds set about deliberately to dishonour his (Black) ancestors who struggled, suffered and sacrificed? If that is what he did, then he is stupid. On the contrary, I don’t believe Mr Hinds did that or meant that. I believe Mr Hinds is a very honourable man. When he walked up to that GUARD platform to join hundreds of other Guyanese folks back in 1990 to call for change in Guyana, to put an end to a long running dictatorship – that was a singular act of courage and an honourable thing to do.
In an environment of racial politics, he crossed a line there. Now that is courage. I saw Mr Hinds for the first time in New York in 1990 when Dr Jagan introduced him on the stage here at an event where hundreds of Guyanese attended. He did not come off as a fluent speaker, he probably stammered. But this man has served honourably as PM for a lot of years. In fact, had it not been for the racial politics there in Guyana, and the fact that both parties are wedded to race politics – Sam Hinds would have been the president after Dr Jagan died.
You, Mr Moseley may think Mr Hinds is dishonourable based on a single statement.
I, on the other hand think Mr Hinds is a great and honourable man. He must be evaluated on his whole life’s work. He is an outstanding Guyanese. Mr Moseley’s intention here is to disparage this great man born and raised in the Mahaicony district. I don’t think Mr Hinds has a “racial bone” in his body as they say in village parlance.
Mr Hergash’s essay on outstanding Blacks from Huntley, Mahaicony is a path-breaking one on many fronts. I would like to see other writers publish similar stuff on outstanding Blacks from every village/district in Guyana. That essay struck chords in people’s consciousness all over the land.
It made me reflect on the outstanding Black families – midwifes, policemen, Headmasters, even rice and cattle farmers, or just plain folks – in my Essequibo village. And, there was no racism at that time. Blacks and Indians – as Mr Hergash described – lived like families. Perfect harmony. That was one of the themes of Mr Hergash’s essay.
The racism the country is struggling with today started with party politics – birth of PPP and PNC around 1955. That’s where it started. And, Mr Moseley MS, as a national service to Guyana should be better occupied with how to restore the racial harmony that once existed there. And, forget about what Sam Hinds did to provoke you to write this letter.
My position is this matter is clear. I call for the abolishment of both PPP and PNC. That would create an opening for new and fresh politics. Space for a rebirth of Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud
