Dear Editor,
This is a response to Roger Ally (SN, 4th August 2023) to let him know I stand by every word in my letter (SN 2nd August 2023) that the struggle of the African Guyanese for racial, social, economic and political justice is real, necessary and just. One of the fundamental rights of man, as enshrined in the United Nations Declarations and the Constitution of Guyana is the right to free speech, whereby persons can articulate their reality. It is therefore presumptuous and contemptuous of Ally to think, in the 21st Century, he could dare believe his behaviour is acceptable and suggest to Africans how they must prioritise their concerns and matters of importance to their well-being. Ally’s behaviour represents the crassness that contributes to the continued disrespect and marginalisation of groups in this society by people, like him and who think like him. They believe only they know how best Africans should interpret and articulate their reality, including the behaviours of others that have direct impact on their individual and collective well-being.
The experiences of African Americans, African Guyanese and all Africans wherever chattel slavery existed, whether in France, Brazil, Suriname, is the same. Therefore “free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last” is meaningful to those affected and not surprising when some cannot identify or appreciate. The continuous civil rights struggle in the United States and the anti-colonial and post independent struggles in Guyana and countries with similar experiences are not dissimilar. Africans in the diaspora are not only linked by the same genetic characteristics and experiences but also the struggle to be treated as equals in lands they were brought to in shackles and have developed with their hands, whilst being forced to work as slaves and under the most inhumane conditions known to mankind. These are indisputable facts that have also been expressed by none other than the United Nations.
There is enough evidence to suggest there are some who would like to change this reality. Africans, and those who believe in drawing strength and inspiration from internationally recognised and acceptable sources, in the continuous struggle for justice and fair play, shall not be deterred by the Allys of the world. My representation of Guyana as a place where “inhumanity, brutality and cruelty are still present” is foolproof. Where the Consti-tution and Laws of Guyana are violated with impunity to the detriment of any, and the Government, who is the custodian of these instruments and principal protector of the people, participates in and allows for such treatment, makes the case that inhumanity, brutality and cruelty are still present. Some examples are listed hereunder:
The extrajudicial killings such as the police killing of Shemroy Bouyea, Ron Somerset and Allan Lewis in Linden; and the many extrajudicial killings without the Coroner’s Act being activated, the police turning their guns on unarmed striking public servants on 19th May 1999, some of whom still carry pellets in their backs and scars; and the burning of the genitals of a teen whilst in police custody are acts of inhumanity, brutality and cruelty. Brutality is the police dragging that black woman and pinning her into the mud last January, in the village of Mocha, of which the vivid image is there for the world to see. The black youth in prison that cannot get a trial and those brutally slaughtered without the opportunity for their day in court, based on only allegations. The mowing down of houses by the state. There is the brutality of the state towards the people and the labour unions that see many afraid to speak and have a difference in opinion. The violation of the right to collective bargaining where African labour are in majority, or the unions are led by Africans that do not kowtow to the PPP’s dictates is another act of inhumanity.
Likewise is the encroachment and coveting of ancestral lands at the instigation of the state, in an evil scheme to deprive a group the constitutional right to property ownership. So, too, is the deliberate economic deprivation of the African community, the denial of Africans to flood relief grants in the agricultural sector, and the discriminatory allocation in regions and local authorities not won by the PPP. The refusal to give true meaning to Article 13 in the Constitution to engage groups and individuals in the management and decision-making processes of the state that impact their well-being is government brutality against the citizens. Similarly is the refusal to have meaningful engagement with the political opposition to ensure a national direction that would bring equality and equity in the management and allocation of the nation’s resources to all Guyanese and ensure the constitutional protection of freedom from want and hunger, and from discrimination on the grounds of race, etc., (Article 149).
Emancipation not only deals with the horror of the most brutish system known to man but allows for honest assessment and evaluation of the African reality in the diaspora. If Ally had a modicum of decency to allow and support a people reflecting on the monumental significance of the day and brutality of its history, he wouldn’t dare attempt to trivialize an issue unique to the black man’s experience, to that of “ALL.” My record of consistency, in speaking to issues of universal rights, poverty, good governance etc. cannot be questioned. I am disgusted by Ally’s attempt to divert my attention away from the group I identify with and to suggest what my focus should be. The audacity of this man. The Lewis’ of this world would not subject the Allys’ of the world from celebrating or speaking authentically to what matters to them.
He is reminded, whether he sees the glass as half full or half empty, he doesn’t determine the quantity we need in the glass, and if a full glass is what we need, then so be it. Africans are not asking for their glass to be filled at the expense of others, but if anyone can have a filled glass then African Guyanese are equally deserving. Finally, this letter must serve to bring to Ally’s attention that my deliberations on matters that interest me, particularly matters of African Guyanese, are my inalienable rights, which no one will restrict.
Sincerely,
Lincoln Lewis
