Dear Editor,
May 5th is officially designated Arrival Day. It is no secret it is the day on which Indians first landed in then British Guiana in 1838. Although that is the day that only Indians arrived in Guiana, and no other group uses it for self-reflection, observance, and recognition, successive governments in Guyana have consistently refused to rename it Indian Arrival Day (IAD). As Ravi Dev penned, when it was approved by the Parliamentary Committee in 2004, it was called IAD. The government side changed it to Arrival Day.
IAD is a day of reflection of the presence of Indians in Guyana. It salutes the Indian pioneers for their sacrifices and contributions. There was a long struggle for the recognition of May 5 as a holiday in Guyana. The British colonial rulers opposed it as did the PNC administration that succeeded the British. Dr. Jagan committed to recognizing it as a holiday but did not approve legislation. Bharrat Jagdeo assented to the holiday.
This idea of an IAD holiday was transplanted to Guyana by diaspora activists like Ravi Dev and myself and took on a life of its own when it was enjoined by GIHA and other groups. Other individuals and organizations like Dharmic Sabha were also speaking the language of a holiday for IAD which was celebrated annually by that organization going back decades. Before Dharmic, British Guiana East Indian Association led by Dr JB Singh, Ayub Edun, and others celebrated IAD as did other groups like Gandhi Youth Organisation led by Dr Balwant Singh and Dr. Ali, that celebrated Rama-Khan Day. Among the other groups that later joined the movement for IAD were: Guyana Islamic Trust, Guyana Indian Foundation Trust, ROAR, Indian Arrival Committee (IAC); etc.
It took decades after independence to convince national politicians that the tremendous contribution and sacrifices of Indians to the nation must be recognised with a national holiday similar to Emancipation Day given to enslaved Africans. Emancipation Day was recognized as a holiday by the PNC early in the nation’s history, but there was no recognition for liberation from indentured slavery. Indian rights activists and community leaders waged an arduous battle for this recognition. It took intense lobbying from Ravi Dev, myself, and other activists to convince the government to honour the Indians with IAD. But it was called Arrival Day.
This holiday honours the hard work and great sacrifices made by Indian indentured labourers, who laid the foundation for a better life for their descendants and the politicians who benefited from their pioneering contributions. It is befitting to honour them with an appropriate recognition with Indian Arrival Day as was requested by Indian rights activists. The Indian in front of the holiday is missing.
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
