Dear Editor,
I read with consternation a letter written by Rev Gideon Cecil titled `The wrong political ideology embraced by our first two leaders destroyed Guyana economically and socially’ (August 19, 2010). If the Rev is not to do violence to the lofty status of a reverend, he need be reminded that his title comes from the Latin ‘Reverendus’ meaning, worthy of Reverence, one to be respected, because of their capacity, among other virtues to deal with fact, speak and write truth.
First the Reverend objects to the very well written scholarly account by Barrington Braithwaite on Forbes Burnham. Those who follow B.B’s writing know that he is no sycophant.
I’ll avoid the tedium of dealing with all of the misconceptions and inaccuracies contained in Rev Cecil’s recent letter, but remind him that during the oil crisis of the 1970’s Guyana was among the non oil producing countries that suffered a sudden loss of foreign exchange, this destabilized many countries.
Next his amazing question what is rice flour? The idea then was to produce our own flour from grain grown locally.
Burnham’s idea to produce rice flour was badly handled. Thanks to a relentless opposition at the time, even though there were millions in parts of Asia, India and Africa who did not have access to imported wheaten flour.
Had the project to produce rice flour not been suffocated, today we would have been proud citizens eating bread and pastries produced from grain grown on our own soil.
The Rev. does not know what rice flour is. Today rice flour is growing dramatically in popularity in the USA. The company of Sage V Foods is now leading in its further development, basically using southern long grain rice, a similar strain of which Burnham asked the technical people to develop.
Does the Rev know that rice flour is hypo allergenic and therefore in much demand because of its qualities? It is also used in cosmetics.
The good gentleman wants to know what is rice flour, I hope this helps him as space and time will not allow for his further education.
The trouble with Burnham was he was way ahead of his time, and did not have the patience to wait for ordinary mortals to catch up. Elsewhere I referred to this as his major weakness.
Note another falsehood in his letter to Stabroek News. He makes the amazing assertion and I quote “If Burnham was the great leader as Mr Barrington proclaimed him to be, then he should explain to the Guyanese nation why up until today there are not one million people in Guyana”
This implication is absolute rubbish. I hope our young and the ill informed will not be deceived, by this rehashed propaganda. Where is the evidence?
Since the end of World War 1 in 1918, and more particularly, after the end of the 2nd World War in 1945, there was migration of Guyanese to Europe, North American and the Caribbean.
During the PPP regime 1957 – 1964 the majority of Guyanese of Portuguese and Chinese descent left this country for Canada and elsewhere.
I ask him to produce the evidence or statistics which would establish in his words “A massive migration began of both Indian and African Guyanese in the Burnham era”. Not true – Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels contended that if you repeated a falsehood often enough the people will take it as the absolute truth. This is a case as in other areas of Guyana today.
Rev. Cecil only need to pass by the Canadian and American Embassies – twenty-five years after Burnham’s death, or better still spend some time at Timehri Airport. It will be unnecessary for me to deal with some of his other absurdities, Mr. Braithwaite is absolutely correct when he says that Cecil’s first letter was written in a “historical vacuum”, his latest letter is in competition with Mills & Boon fiction stories.
Come on, My Dear Reverend be reminded of what the King said to Micaiah (2 Chronicles 18: 14-15) “How much times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord”.
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green, JP
