Dear Editor,
I wonder whether I should feel pity for the likes of Mr Vishnu Bisram on the subject of wanting the “white man” to rule them as indicated in his letter captioned “Elderly Guyanese say they preferred colonial rule” (08.03.04). (editor’s note: Mr Bisram said in his letter that that was the view of several elderly Guyanese he had spoken to but did not put it forward as his view). I would not bother to discuss the numerous ways in which that “white man” has abused and manipulated “others” over the centuries, and that we should have welcomed the opportunity to share in the management of our lives, rather than pulling each other down. What we need, I mean, is a good dose of something called self-esteem.
In the “white man’s” day, we got to work, mainly walking long distances, but definitely on time. Why do we resent a similar requirement now in Guyana when we have so many alternatives of transportation? In the “white man’s” day, all the senior people at the workplace, were either Caucasian or (ask Edgar Mittleholzer) what is known as mulatto. Today every head of department, every sugar plantation supervisor, field, factory or office, is of the same or similar origin as that of the general workforce. Is it resentment or what that causes this urge to run after the old “bass”.
Guyana’s capital, Georgetown had about one dozen tarred streets, in the “white man’s” day. The others were constructed of a white material from Barbados, know as Marl – a spin-off from the carol.
The roads of the rural areas were constructed of half-burnt clay, which soon became red dust or mud that splattered the clothes of the many pedestrians, if they were not prudent enough or nimble enough to get as far as possible into the “grass corner”, when the cars of the white estate managers or the doctors and very few others with such luxuries, thundered past, not caring who got soiled, and sure that there would be no complaints.
Even the telephone operators of that day, had to be “fair-skinned” i.e. at least mulatto, or so near it, as to make little difference. The two foreign banks were the same, and the same went for stores on Water Street. The ship RH Carr, which plied between Georgetown and McKenzie accommodated the “white men” of the bauxite operations on its upper deck. Sorry that Mr Bisram could not have seen how the “others” made good with that lower deck.
There are no logies on today’s sugar plantations. Most workers’ cottages are now nicely built and painted. What is more, it is interesting to see, in the “compounds” of even some squatters’ shacks, at least one, and often two cars. Indeed, there are so many cars on our roadways, that, at one time, one Commissioner of Police had contemplated recommending that the importation of cars be restricted.
Telephones? It appears that every school child possesses a cellular phone. Their back-packs are so ram packed that the poor (excuse that term) youngsters are often seen bending forward under their weight.
So what is Mr Bisram’s complaint? We in Guyana have got everything that those in the ‘white man’s country have. What we might not possess is probably the awareness that life is very much easier here than “over there”. Oh, you don’t believe it? Well get your “permanent” and go live there for a while. You’ll soon find out!
Yours faithfully,
Walter A Jordan
