Thanks to the children of the late David de Caires (who passed away a year ago) for reminiscing about him and sharing their recollections about the kind of person he was and growing up with him. De Caires was, as they related, a loving, caring and doting father and husband. He was admired by everyone including those who he opposed. And de Caires’s friends included those whose ideology he frowned on. De Caires had friends who were avowed Marxists or leftists.
Something needed to be said to pay homage to a man who fought for and defended the gains of democracy in Guyana and who condemned the things that were wrong in Guyana. De Caires was not afraid to speak up against tyranny and other abuses. As others penned last year, De Caires is best known as the man who institutionalized letter writing in Guyana allowing people to express their opinions about matters of life without having to fear repercussions. He gave voice to the dispossessed and the downtrodden and to those whose rights were trampled upon when it was difficult to find a free press during the dictatorial era. People write freely and without fear criticizing their government and officials and anyone else in the public domain. It is because of de Caires that letters to the editor (in all the papers) are the most read pages today. People told me throughout Guyana that the first item of reading is the letter page in SN and KN.
It is pleasing to see that the successors to de Caires still continue in the tradition he left the paper – speak out courageously against what they perceive to be abuses.
One should also not forget that de Caires fought courageously for free and fair elections, knowing fully well that the PPP with which he had differences, would win. But de Caires was a principled man – right is right and he accepted that if the PPP wins a fair election, then it has the right to govern. I remember his response to my question about whether the PPP had rigged the elections of 1997 as the opposition claimed. He responded: “Man, behave yourself. What do you expect the opposition to say”. So although he may not have liked the PPP, he felt the party had won the elections and the opposition should not be obstructionist in its actions and should not have paralyzed the nation with street protests and refusing to accept Mrs. Jagan as President.
He supported what was right not what was opportunistic or beneficial to him. But de Caires lamented the slow counting of the ballots recalling the time when the counting of ballots was very quick (in 1961 and 64) before the introduction of rigged elections in 1968.
De Caires has made an indelible contribution to freedom in Guyana and we can never forget him. In fact, the nation misses de Caires as much as his family does – his kindness, honesty, decency, charity, hard work, and principles. Thanks for reminding us of his many contributions to life in our beloved homeland.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
