Viewpoint
The festive season of Christmas
By Hydar Ally
Guyana Chronicle
December 22, 2003
THE festive season of Christmas and the New Year has already dawned upon us. It is amazing how quickly time flies. To me, it was only the other day that I participated in the several festivities that usually take place during this time of the year.
I believe that the apparent "quickness" in the arrival of Christmas has got to do partly with my advancing age. It is a known fact that the older one gets, the shorter the years appear to be. The years seem to roll at an alarmingly faster rate. By the time we know it, we are well into our twilight years.
Which brings me to the point that I really wanted to make; that is, that life is short, much shorter than we would like to believe, especially when in the prime of our youth.
This is why we must not take time for granted. We have to make our contribution now to the growth and development to the society in which we live, however simple and modest that contribution may be. True enough, we cannot all be leaders, but there are so many things that we can do to help enrich the lives of people, especially the less fortunate.
We also need to cultivate greater trust in our society. We have to be much more tolerant of each other. We need to break down barriers in our society, barriers based on race, ethnicity, religion, class and creed. These are artificial barriers created by the mind and by society.
Does it really matter to what race or religion a person belongs? No one cares about the race or ethnicity of a Nelson Mandela, or a Mahatma Ghandi or a Martin Luther King or a Cheddi Jagan. These are/were all great men who have commanded tremendous respect by people throughout the world, mainly because of their ability to put the interests of humanity over their own individual interests.
And talking about Dr. Cheddi Jagan, I wish to refer to a quotation taken from a publication launched recently at Red House titled "Cheddi Jagan: Selected Correspondence (1953-1965), which I think reinforces the point I am seeking to make in a very beautiful way.
He wrote, and I quote:
"I first wanted to be a doctor. Didn't want to be merely a specialist and craftsman and cure individual aches and ills. I wanted to know that I have served humanity as a human being. All of us want recognition. I am not interested in recognition conferred in terms of my bankroll. When I would have passed away, I would like to be recorded that Jagan did his bit in the service of humanity."
Dr. Jagan certainly did his bit in the service of humanity, even though that is somewhat of an understatement. In fact, much of the progress and the dignity that we enjoy today resulted from the contribution made by Dr. Jagan and the PPP, which he led until the time of his death.
Except for those who are blinded by prejudice, no one can deny that the country has made substantial progress since the assumption to office of the PPP/Civic administration in October 1992. One only has to look at the number of vehicles on the road; the way our public buildings now look; the number of people who today are the owners of consumer goods such as television sets, VCRs, refrigerators, microwaves, washing machines, etc, to get a sense of the progress made in terms of enhancing the quality of life of the Guyanese people.
As we celebrate this wonderful season of the year, let us find some time to reflect on our achievements and what we can do to consolidate on the gains made. As I said before the achievements are many, but we have to continue to build on these so that future generations can enjoy an even better quality of life than what we are currently enjoying.
Of no less importance, we must reject those who seek to divide us on the basis of race and ethnicity. It is time that we bring this nonsense of race to an end. President Bharrat Jagdeo has repeatedly reaffirmed his administration's commitment to participatory and inclusive governance, one in which there is equal opportunity for all regardless of race or political affiliation. This, as the President correctly observed, can materialize only in an environment characterized by trust and respect.
Let us recommit ourselves, in the true spirit of Christmas, to the building of a society free from prejudice and hate.