We should embrace Mashramani
Stabroek News
February 21, 2017
Dear Editor,
I’m calling on all my peeps who did not get their Mashramani gear as yet to do so. They should get cracking to prepare their husband, wife, mother, father, children, grandmother, grandfather and neighbour.
Even the people who came late and did not get one of the 225 vending spots, those who disagree with the route, should come out; it’s still their Mashramani; it’s still their song, it’s still their ‘wine’, it’s still their snow cones. Granted with my inside seat I can safely say with conviction that it was a fair fight to get the vending equitably distributed.
But the dark horse rode in mudslinging with dirty hurtful tricks, launching attack after attack in what is coined the intellectual dissecting of the intention of the Ministry of Culture. In my experience their intention is far from the truth. This kind of poison can only bring us to mirror Trump’s America. As we march forward in a few days’ time we will be celebrating our 47th Republic Anniversary. Let’s not neglect to celebrate the uniqueness of our differences. My heart leapt with joy at the huge attendance for the children’s competitions and ultimate road parade and the even larger turnout for the Adult Calypso Monarch, and we did it as a diverse and unified people. Let’s do this again on Mash Day, February 23. We should make a statement to the deflecting searchlight on the Caribbean and Guyana. Embrace Mashramani! Reject the negativity, hate, politics, economic and social differences. Do not give in to the human trick to alienate the centrists and undecided.
The fact is, more than 225 spots were sold for vending on Mashramani Day to a cross section of Guyanese on a first come first served basis. By any standards 225 spots for vending inclusive of large scale beverage companies as well as the average man seeking to ‘catch their hand’ is more than the usual number of vendors who come out on February 23.
For what it’s worth, it is my belief there must come a time in our development when people move beyond the last minute scramble to planning ahead and embracing the term ‘the early bird catches the fattest worms’. One cannot just decide to turn up at the last minute and get a spot to vend. We are sorry if some saw the advertisement late. If they did, let’s agree on one thing more: vending spots are finite but the demand is infinite. Truth be told, not one of us, including the coordinators have yet gotten the recipe to spin straw into gold. But we can come out in our numbers and dance, gig, wine, flounce, socialise as a united Guyanese people.
Humbly I submit that for us to work towards order, a better society and a better Guyana, not just for ourselves but for future generations is remembering always that Mashramani is not a political or personal event; it is by Guyanese for Guyanese and whomsoever may come to our shores. Let us show the detractors and mischief-makers in our numbers that division solves nothing while respecting and celebrating our differences does. #mashingprepared #mashingfair #mashingunified.
Yours faithfully,
Mondale Smith
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