SOME WORRYING EXAMPLES
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
August 1, 2004
ON THIS Emancipation Day, we must all hope that Guyana can be spared some of the deep-rooted social and racial prejudices and the ideological blandishments that only retard progress in the building of a better future for this country of "One People, One Nation, One Destiny".
We can, for example, do without those who abuse academic licence to distort history by slandering one significant segment of our multi-ethnic population, under the guise of "championing" the rights of another significant section. One academic has done just that in a badly written book which seems to be yet another mischievous attempt to keep the pot of racism boiling.
There is no point freely advertising such an "academic" (sic) work by naming it here. Yet, it is to be hoped that its author would use this year's celebration of Emancipation Day to make some amends - assuming such an interest exists.
At the same time, those elements and groups in this country that have been passionate in denouncing the book, need to critically evaluate their own philosophy and activities and keep their arrogance in check in seeking to assume the moral high ground.
The same plea could also be made with justification to a once very promising political organisation now one of the minority parliamentary parties.
Today, a hybrid political organisation with an itinerant leadership and a pale shadow of its former self, its outburst last week against the terms of reference and composition of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into death squad allegations, show how much this party is struggling to break out of its own ideological cobweb in a battle for legitimacy.
IMF Rebuke
It is amazing, to say the least, that though not without its own stock of some good and decent people, this party of the political periphery could have made the ideological accusation of "democratic centralism" to reject both the terms of reference and the members of the Presidential Commission. Political frustration can indeed be a suffocating burden!
Also sadly to be noted was the bit of journalistic travesty last Thursday by another section of the local media in reporting on a press release from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about its review of Guyana's economic performance.
In seeking to introduce editorial comment in a rewrite of the IMF press statement, that newspaper, which remains a welcome respected competitor, committed some astonishing errors on the realisation of a most high profile project - construction of a modern cricket stadium for World Cup Cricket 2007.
Apart from the not surprising angry response it attracted from the government, the totally unwarranted distorted report of the press release sufficiently provoked the IMF for its local representative to issue an immediate categorical denial of the false assumptions.
The encouraging good news, however, is that as the Presidential Commission proceed with its mandate into alleged death squad killings and claimed ministerial involvement, plans are going ahead for the construction of the new cricket stadium.
Best wishes to all readers on this Emancipation Day weekend.