Dear Editor,
Earlier this year I watched a broadcast of India’s Republic Day celebrations under the theme “Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas,” celebrating India’s cultural heritage and developmental achievements. The President of India, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, Smt. Droupadi Murmu arrived in a horse drawn carriage with the presidential guard in dazzling red uniforms riding sleek well-trained horses. She took the salute for hour after hour as Indian troops marched past. Prime Minister Modi laid a wreath, greeted people and watched the parade for hours in the hot sun.
I was delighted by the richness of Indian culture and the beautiful floats. I was impressed by the military sections – their music, their discipline and their sheer numbers – and by India’s technological advances. An Indian news outlet predicted, “On January 26, 2025, the heart of India will beat with patriotism, pride, and celebration when the nation celebrates its 76th Republic Day.” If the massive well-behaved cheering crowds and the dignity of the president, prime minister and guests were anything to go by, then Indian hearts did indeed beat with pride and patriotism on Republic Day.
Four weeks later, I endured our Repub-lic Day. It started the afternoon before with massive speakers on Vlissingen Road and sad little men repeatedly ramping up the volume irrespective of other people. I spoke with 2 who said they worked for ANSA McAl thereby ensuring that I will never knowingly buy another ANSA McAl product. During that long sleepless night I felt I made some new friends at Brickdam Police Station as the officers on duty kept politely assuring me that the patrol was dealing with my complaints. Indeed the noise would cease after each phone call, only to start up later.
Republic Day – 23rd February – was hell. The noise was unrelenting. Nerve shattering. Inside my shaking old wooden house the noise meter recorded 80 decibels making it impossible to think, read, write or hold intelligent conversation – the basics of civilised living. On Vlissingen Road the meter raced up to 90+ decibels, with spikes at 100 decibels. Noise like this has a horrible mental and physical impact, especially on children, the old and the sick. (The Americans used noise as a form of torture during their self-defeating ‘war on terror’.)
I saw children close to massive speakers. Were their parents too ignorant or unloving to protect them from hearing damage? Where were the Rights of the Child Commission? And Vindhya Persaud the minister responsible for protecting the vulnerable? And Frank Anthony the minister of health? If they won’t do their job, they should step down.
A national celebration and a carnival are two different things. Instead of celebrating Guyana’s heroes against slavery and colonialism (e.g. Kofi, Quamina, Forbes Burnham, Cheddi Jagan, Walter Rodney), writers (Martin Carter, Wilson Harris, Edgar Mittelholzer, Pauline Melville etc.) artists (Marjorie Broodhagen, Bernadette Persaud, George Simon etc.) and countless other impressive Guyanese, the PPP/C imposed on the nation a celebration of the worst aspects of a tiny sub-culture of Guyanese society – vulgarity, drunkenness, urinating in the streets, garbage, and total disregard for other people and the norms of civilised behaviour. This is absolutely not who we are as a nation. Of course people can drink and jump up and down in the hot sun to booming speakers if they want, but they cannot inflict that behaviour on other citizens. Charles Ramson should step down as minister and apologise for what was basically an exercise in bullyism.
Judging from the garbage everywhere (which some of us had to clean up) the police did not enforce the law which makes littering a criminal offence. And they did nothing about the illegal day time noise levels. If Robeson Benn won’t enforce these minimal standards to protect people, he should step down as Minister of Home Affairs.
Republic Day is supposed to be a national celebration. This was a PPP/C political exercise. Red T-shirts from the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport with the words ‘One Guyana’ – that ill-considered slogan launched by President Ali, and which annoys everybody except those in the PPP/C echo chamber. The Constitution clearly states that our motto is “One people, one nation, one destiny.” If Irfaan Ali cannot subscribe to our national ideals he should step down as president.
An Indian newspaper in January said “With every march, every salute, and every display of strength, the Republic Day Parade reminds us of India’s journey to becoming a republic and the vibrant democracy it is today.” That is national pride.
In contrast, on Guyana’s Republic Day there were no marches, no salutes, no sign of a people united in love for country or caring of one another. Is it possible that people are in despair over where the PPP/C is taking Guyana and too afraid to say anything?
Yours faithfully,
Melinda Janki
