Hi Varuna

We should accept this goodwill gesture from the British
Dear Editor,
I refer to the letter by Dr. Ramesh Deonarine entitled “UK Conference on Guyana was a flawed conception” (29.6.2003). My immediate reaction when I began to read it was to reject the contents. Yet after thoughtfully reading the letter I found there was nothing in it which I could reject. Yet I would like to add a few comments of my own.

The PPP/C and the PNC/R apparently cannot arrive at a compromise solution needed by the country. Therefore it can be a great help to use a third party to achieve this result. The British or the US are an obvious choice. The offer by the British is in my opinion a gift and well intentioned. However even the best intentions can be misconstrued.

We all know that the East Indian population was subjected to crude discrimination and savage terror under certain governments of the past.

The reason for the present impasse lies in the “28 years”. Also in the knowledge that the PNC/R government would not agree to power-sharing at the present time if it was the PNC/R who were in power now.

Is it easy to forget? Can you say to the father whose son has been shot or whose daughter has been raped and her hair cut off “forget because we must unite as Guyanese”?
Nevertheless we will have to unite. This is not easy and therefore we need the assistance of a third party. We should accept this goodwill gesture from the British.

Looking backwards we can wish. Wish that Burnham (prodigy of the British and US governments at the time of his accession to power) had not terrorised the East Indians but had had a character consistent with the ideal that all Guyanese should be treated in a fair, democratic manner regardless of race. Then our present day problems would not have been created. Looking forward we can wish. Wish the PPP/C are willing to agree to political compromise.

Since their willingness seems to be not genuine, then we do in fact need a referee on the sideline to help the discussion (no fighting).We are a mini-Israel far away from Palestine and the same kind of blunders and the same nations who created the problems of Israel have created the problems of Guyana. They must help us too to find a “road map” for peace. Let us accept their offer.

I remember how we used to celebrate New Year’s Eve in the Guyana before Burnham, Jagan and d’Aguiar. We were all mixed and no one even thought about who was what or what was who. I remember school photographs with boys of every race and colour imaginable.
In the Bible Saul is asked to gird up his loins and rise. People of Guyana, gird up your loins and rise. Do not let a few ambitious, dishonest politicians misrepresent you.
We must have a solution to the problem now!
Yours faithfully,
Gilbert Campbell

Tuesday June 01, 2003