Dear Editor,
I recall Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC MP some time ago saying that “false narratives on matters of public importance must never be left on the public record unrepudiated”. It is for that very reason I feel compelled to write this letter. In response to the call from prominent attorney Nigel Hughes for the Guyana Police Force to stop referring to Guyanese of African descent as “Negro”, Attorney General Anil Nandlall on his programme “Issues In The News” aired on the National Communications Network (NCN) stated that “for over 180 years, the Guyana Police Force has been using “Negro” to describe Afro Guyanese, “East Indian” to describe Indo-Guyanese, “Amerindian” to describe indigenous Guyanese, etc, in their investigative documents without any objection whatsoever from any quarter”. The AG should recognize that of those descriptions the only one that can be considered as disrespectful, derogatory and even racist is “Negro”.
Editor, let me say this for the benefit of all, the assertion by the AG that the word “Negro” has been used for over 180 years by the Guyana Police Force to describe Guyanese of African descent is false. Former Assistant Commissioner of Police John Campbell in his book “History of Policing in Guyana” highlighted that in 1873 PC 39 Simon Hunte was described as a Black Demerarian. In 1876 PC 82 Joseph Graham was described as a Black Demerarian. 1886 PC 76 John Eastman was described as Black Barbadian. In 1870 PC 201 William Frederick was described as a Black St. Vincentian. It is very clear from the archival evidence that persons of African Descent were described as “Blacks”, not “Negros”. I can find no evidence that during those years Guyanese, or any other nationality, being described as “Negro”.
I recall that around the year 2005 a decision was taken by the administration of the Guyana Police Force to replace the word “Negro” with the words Guyanese of African Descent, to describe male and female Guyanese of African descent. It is therefore very disturbing to learn that the police have reverted to the use of that pejorative, disrespectful and offensive word to describe Guyanese of African Descent.
In closing, I wish to state that the AG of all persons should know that even if the word “Negro” was used during the enslavement of Africans that does not mean that that offensive word should continue to be used.
Yours faithfully,
Paul Slowe CCH, DSM, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ret’d). Former Chairman of the Police Service Commission.
