Dear Editor,
The classification of ‘racist’ seems to have breached definitive boundaries to assume textures and meanings beyond established configurations. The reconfiguration of this volatile word would be laughable if it did not reflect such a tragic indictment of the lengths to which influential persons would go in efforts to create strategic divisions within this fledgling nation.
Mr David de Caires has contributed enormously to this country in many laudable ways. Maybe along the way he has made mistakes and maybe he has offended some persons with his very strong opinions, but he has fought very hard for the right of everyone in Guyana to freely express his/her opinion, albeit within the boundaries of the law. Labelling him as “racist” for an editorial (which he did not even write) that has upset some members of the society is unworthy of someone of the intellectual stature of Mr Rickford Burke.
I may be wrong, but I am very certain that neither Mr de Caires nor the Sunday editor has an iota of “racism” in their respective make-ups, and it is incumbent on all of us that we cease to so freely and readily make use of this pejorative and inflammable terminology.
It is human nature to have prejudices and only a bona-fide saint can claim to be completely free of this psychological flaw, but justice and the compulsion to be a good human being demand that we do not equate this with evil intentions unless there is justification. In this instance I am convinced there is none, but this contention can catalyse a witch-hunt.
Yours faithfully,
Parvati Persaud-Edwards
