Dear Editor,
I am an Indo-Guyanese who lived in Guyana and sat on a peerah like that Indo-Guyanese woman in the SN cartoon. I am now living in the USA, and I support Barack Obama. All candidates have their own merits. I did not support other Afro-American candidates like Jessie Jackson because he was not serious. Bill Clinton compared Barack Obama to Jesse Jackson in the context of Barack Obama not being a serious candidate, which I rejected. Mr Harris wrote: “Barack Obama was given that vote by a wide cross-section of different races” (‘Why can’t we?’ SN 25.6.08).
Is Mr Harris comparing Barack Obama to Afro-Guyanese presidential candidates for the Guyana presidency? Our Guyanese presidential candidates need to show solid proof of how they appeal to a “wide cross-section of different races.” Mr Harris wrote: “he [Barack Obama] was not brought to that position by a black vote, no sir!” Mr Harris is correct as he might have noticed the percentages by race in the Democratic party supporting Obama. But I do not see a good mix in terms of racial percentages in Guyana’s political parties where Afro-Guyanese presidential candidates are concerned. Why draw a cartoon of an Indo-Guyanese woman whether or not poor or illiterate, and not ask our presidential candidates to venture into a wide cross-section of different races? We must not criticize the voters for their choices, but we must ask more from the political parties and their presidential candidates on voting by a wide cross-section of different races as Mr Harris stated correctly in respect of Barack Obama. If would be nice some day, if Guyanese could put their feet in other races’ shoes to justify their thoughts. And freedom of speech is not to be used to hurt someone. If SN thinks that this cartoon is justifiable because of voting by race, then it should try to reverse the races and ask the same for the acceptance of an Indo-Guyanese president. We are all guilty. We have to press upon the political parties they shoud appeal to all races.
Yours faithfully,
Rudy Somwaru
