Dear Editor,
I believe that the United States is the most blessed country on Earth because it opens its door to refugees and foreigners. I grew up believing that Guyana was the greatest country on Earth when it comes to welcoming and accepting foreigners. But, now that we have become wealthy from oil, we have turned “big boy.” We are rejecting foreigners and refugees.
We have become like Donald Trump. We don’t want certain people in our country. We are looking and talking down to the Venezuelans. We think and feel we are better than them. My, my, how times have changed? How quickly we forget. Not long ago, Guyanese were going to Venezuela as refugees to get food.
That said, I was appalled and angry to see how the vulnerable Venezuelan refugees arriving by boat were badly treated by Guyanese. What ever happened to Guyanese’s hospitality” I thought Guyanese like to boast about being hospitable people. I guess we are, except for when it comes to refugees.
I couldn’t believe the derogatory words I was hearing from Guyanese opposed to the refugees coming to Guyana. I watched a boat load of Venezuelan infants and young women being threatened and treated with uttermost contempt, and I felt downright disgusted and ashamed at being Guyanese. Is this how we treat refugees?
Editor, we may never know how the derogatory words and treatment of the refugees coming to Guyana will impact them in the future. What we do know that anyone who was treated the way they were treated will be impacted emotionally negatively in some way.
God told us in the Bible to help infants, foreigners and refugees. God will bless any nation who helped refugees and children. The refugees are coming to Guyana because they have no food, no money and Guyana has plenty food and oil.
Editor, did it ever occur to you that the food and oil we have were given to Guyana to help the refugees? Has it ever occurred to you that God has provided Guyana with food and oil for such a time as this?
Did you know many Guyanese migrated to Venezuela during the darkest time of Guyana, and they were never treated like this? The treatment of these infants and women were atrocious and un-Guyanese.
Therefore, I am calling on President Ali to help the refugees coming to Guyana by providing food and shelter and God will bless him and Guyana.
As someone who has been a refugee, I am willing to provide food and shelter to some of them. Is Guyana becoming Trump-America?
Yours faithfully,
Anthony Pantlitz
