Dear Editor,
Last night, I went to an amazing and exciting cricket game at Providence Stadium. I am not such a big fan of cricket. I go to cricket to be with my friends. What I observed last night was the Guyanese people are united in supporting their team. I saw Indians and Africans people holding hands, singing, shouting, dancing and celebrating together. It was a rare moment. It was something I have never seen before anywhere else. But cricket has this effect on people. Cricket is a great unifier. It brings people together who otherwise wouldn’t be together. And then, it dawned on me, why Indians and Africans, couldn’t unite together to help Guyanese to get a better deal from the oil companies?
It’s because the common view on ‘race relations’ in Guyana today is that Indians and Africans people live in two separate worlds that will continue to diverge. The vastly different reactions of Indians and Africans to the last election, the debate over the lopsided oil contract and renegotiation of the contract only served to reinforce this view in the country. Like many Guyanese, I’m doubtful that Guyana will ever achieve racial unity. Many Africans and Indians are skeptical that the country will eventually make the changes necessary for racial unity. It’s my belief that Indians and Africans will never unite except during cricket. A friend told me that every 5 years, God gives Indians and Africans a chance to have a better Guyana by voting for better leaders who would put Guyana first but Guyanese continue to vote based on race.
Editor, we’ll never benefit fully from the oil, until all Guyanese understand the importance of uniting as a country. If Guyanese do not understand how important being united against oil companies is, they cannot succeed in receiving their right share of the oil money.
Sincerely,
Anthony Pantlitz
