Frankly Speaking Sugar, Arrival and `Indianness

A consultative democracy? Prior consent?

Expectedly, all the pronouncements from political and trade union leaders, the commentaries from Rights Activists, the “sensitivities” aroused, conspired to stimulate almost national debate about the May fifth “arrival” of Indentured Immigrants from the Indian sub-continent.

Even the “preliminaries” added spice - chutney and achar – to the annual conversation this year. For example, the May 01 - Labour Day had to highlight the plight of the sugar workers made redundant as the government superintended some Sugar Corporation to reduce the Sugar Sector to its right relevant, sustainable size.

Then there was the belated launch of postage stamps to honour Guyana’s Pre-eminent Indo- Guyanese, Cheddi Jagan- some six weeks after its scheduled date and three days before the annual Arrival Anniversary. His Excellency’s wishes had to be served. And personally, Frankly Speaking, I can find nothing wrong with saying, writing and naming May fifth as Indian Arrival Day. Dropping “Indian” does absolutely no harm for the cohesion sought by the Coalition’s sociology, ethno-centric, history and inclusivity experts.

I suppose it could be healthy to engage in these conversations examining the rights and the wrongs related to the latter-day descendants of the coolies who “arrived” here, having been brought across the Kala Pani to be contracted to European plantation owners. The thing is, certain sensitive historical facts could be weapons of divisiveness when rendered to revive - and sustain painful strategies and memories of antagonisms between our two major groups which were originally fashioned by those who stood to benefit from such exploitation of differences.

**** Indian values, status - as Guyanese

My two favourite Indian Rights Commentators, Ryhaan and Ravi, did not disappoint (me) at the beginning of this week.

They each continued prosecution of their cases to reveal historical evidence that the “African”- controlled institutions of State and government used economic, political and cultural mechanisms to marginalise the descendants of Indian Asians in the Caribbean and Guyana.

Ryhaan and Ravi are possessers of well-qualified and finely-tuned minds. They (each) are passionate and proud of their Indianness, achievements and legacy. They use the words and actions- even theories- of CLR James, Burnham and Federation protagonists to explain how Indians were and are victims of either execution or forced absorption and integration into a more Western/African society. (Poor me, I’m just a creole.)