Dear Editor,
The last two public holidays were very significant with respect to our history. Unfor-tunately some of the utterings both at and after the said events gives one the impression that there are some in our midst who are intent on playing dice with this beautiful country of ours. I believe that we, the descendants of slavery and indentureship, were brought to this paradise for a purpose. Let us end the bitterness and indifference to each other’s feelings before the wrath of God descend upon us. We are a blessed people with a small population in relation to the size of our country. We are creative, resourceful and resilient, and we certainly cannot afford to waste any more years realizing but not developing the vast potential wealth that Almighty God has bequeathed to us. Somebody has to put a stop to this confounded nonsense that we engage in on a daily basis, so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy the bounty of Guyana. It required a few cartloads of sugar cane and a quantity of rice seed to feed the slaves and eventually give us what we are so proud to boast about, ie the sugar industry and its derivatives, and the rice industry – our main export commodities. Which of our politicians is capable of putting an end to this seemingly endless charade in this country?
Let me mention one of my most unforgettable memories. I was stationed at Timehri after the Jonestown suicide episode in November of 1978. The body bags were housed in close proximinity to where I was; believe me you would never want to experience that odour of decay that permeated the atmosphere.
An American soldier while lying on the tarmac basking in the sunshine remarked that this country was indeed beautiful, but he personally never wanted to hear about it again. His reaction was understandable; I guess he will adjust in time. We cannot afford to tempt fate and breathe that odour in our nostrils. Let us indeed be ‘One People, One Nation, and One Destiny.’
“Our task is not to fix the blame for the past, but to fix the course for the future” – John F Kennedy.
Yours faithfully,
Lloyd Davidson
