We have never addressed the race relations issues that have kept us back as a people and a nation
The commentary made public by Member of Parliament Ms. Amanza Walton-Desir, has captured the attention of the PPP “big wigs” and some opportunists, who have to sing support for the diatribe towards her for speaking the truth to gain their rewards. That truth is, we in this country over 50 plus years of independence, have never formally nor frontally addressed our race relations issues that has kept us back as a people and a nation. The intentional misinterpretation and misrepresentation of her statement is clearly being done by PPP to score cheap political points. But to what end? How does this address the race relations that has and continues to have the knee on our country’s true potential? How does this allow us to achieve this One Guyana?
Editor, the discussions on this truthful comment, has brought out Mr. Gerry Gouveia. His attack on Ms. Amanza Walton Desir is simply him singing for his supper, and that is what he knows to do very well. His recent Facebook post about this strong woman, where he posits “What she fails to understand is the supporters of the PPP/C Comprises a wide cross section of the Guyanese population. There are: Portuguese-Guyanese, Chinese-Guyanese, Indians-Guyanese, AmerindiansGuyanese, Black-Guyanese and MixedGuyanese
and that “PPP/C supporters trust their political leaders because of their long history and record of running the affairs of state with high levels of Honestly, Integrity, Competence Consistence, Openness...” the PPPC supporters are “the free thinkers”, entrepreneurs, owners of large and small business and people who “know how things work”!
Honesty? Integrity? Openness? The use of these words are nothing but irony at its best. This is spouting meaningless words he hopes finds favour with his political bosses. As he has indicated he “knows how things work”. Gerry Gouveia must sing from the same song sheet of the PPPC to whom he owes. Men like Gerry Gouveia have no interest in healing the racial and ethnic divide in this country, all they see is business opportunities and interests to capitalise on and to enrich themselves. The whole of Guyana can recall that he, Gerry, was amongst the first set of business persons to lay off staff when the COVID-19 Pandemic hit. It is not difficult to conclude, that some do not see Guyana as One People, coming together as a nation with a common destiny of living a good life. Some only see Guyana through the lens of race and business interest. They do not desire for social cohesion to work for the greater good. They are consume with lust for money, land and property. Material possessions that will leave them when Almighty GOD calls.
I thank my sister, a fellow Lindener, Ms Amanza Walton-Desir for her courage, for her boldness and bravery in sparking the conversation about race relations in this country that we must have.
As Haile Selassie posits “Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war. And until there are no longer firstclass and second-class citizens of any nation, until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes. And until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to RACE, there is war. And until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, rule of international morality, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained...A fleeting illusion.