Dear Editor,
Hours after the Lusignan massacre major international media relays, including the BBC were reporting on this barbaric act. Within the region Port-of-Spain based Caribbean Televi-sion (CTV) also featured the Lusignan massacre, for at least two consecutive days.
Guyanese in North America, Oceania, Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa as well as neighbouring states – Suriname, Brazil and Venezuela, have all in some way felt the pain, experienced the trauma. Perhaps citizens of this country have become part of a broad internationalisation (i.e., beyond the traditionally defined Dias-pora). This internationalisation at the level of media perception links both with responsible journalism/reporting and de-regulated ownership interests at the level of raw desktop and the expectancy attached to quality editor intervention.
In what is clearly a national issue in the process of becoming internationalised it behoves the political parties to support (even critically) the government.
The Secretary General of the Organisation of American States, the SG of Caricom the Prime Ministers of Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago as well as the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dr Kenneth Anthony – now leader of the Opposition in St Lucia (amongst others)- surely can’t all be wrong in the stands they all have taken.
The reality is that there are bound to be those who for whatever reason believe that the Constitution of Guyana provides a veritable carte blanche for aspiring local Talibans and Agricola/Buxton-weeds. These elements are gravely mistaken. Over the short term the Administration’s security plan will produce results. What is required is the heightened awareness of all peace-loving Guyanese. The kind of solidarity that kept the Black population of South Africa resolute and their natural allies in Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia united against one of the world’s most brutal and genocidal (remember Cassinga and Soweto) terrorists – the fascist apartheid Afrikaners of South Africa, aided by mercenaries and allies of apartheid.
The Guyanese people will win this historic struggle.
Yours faithfully,
Eddi Rodney
