Our main concern is the Indian security dilemma
Dear Editor,

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Finally, the existence of the Guyana Indian Heritage Association (GIHA) is acknowledged by the state media. One arm of the state media, the Chronicle, on February 16, 2003, published an attempt at a negative criticism by another arm, GINA, which critiqued the editorial of GIHA’s January newsletter and, in doing so, completely missed the point.
GINA went to great pains to state how much Government has done for victims of the violence in order, it seemed, to counter Izzat’s editorial, except that the editorial dealt with the violence at the more important and serious level of national security and, more specifically within that context, of the Indian security dilemma.
Government has failed in one year to put an end to the violence and, in the Chronicle article, reduced itself to a shameless scrapping about who has done more for victims. The fact that after one year we are still dealing with victims is the point and Government, according to GINA, missed this completely.

Ryhaan Shah

 
GIHA wishes to believe that Government’s shallow interpretation of Izzat’s editorial is a deliberate ploy since it has no explanation to give its constituents, and hopes that the misinterpretation is not based on a contextual misunderstanding of language. If it is the latter, then Guyana is in worse shape than we can ever imagine.

Government, in crowing proudly about which victims it has helped and how much money it has dispensed, fails to grasp that aid to victims of a violence it has been unable to curb is not an act for any government to boast about. It should be an embarrassment. 
Unlike Government, GIHA wishes to direct its energies at more positive nation-building programmes and does not want to forever be dealing with victims of ethnic violence.

 GIHA, therefore, calls again on Government to acknowledge and confront the complex issue of national security and to deal with it in a serious, positive and mature manner. 
The Chronicle article went on to further criticize a report in “The Caribbean New Yorker” on the issue of Government’s rejection of tangible help offered by the US, UK, and Canada. President Bharrat Jagdeo is quoted as explaining how he had requested from the British Government a “series of studies on the criminal justice system” and that he had met with senior officials from Scotland Yard on this.
GINA has mastered the art of casting, before its readers, red herrings and like all red herrings this one stinks.

“The Caribbean New Yorker” was not addressing reforms to Guyana’s justice system but the pressing issue of banditry and crime and was expressing concern over Govern-ment’s lack of urgency in availing itself of every help possible. Requests can be made by Government to the security councils of the OAS or UN for foreign troops and perhaps GINA can report at length as to whether such requests were ever made by Government and if not, why not. 

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As to Government’s request for a retraction of Izzat’s editorial, GIHA can only ask that Government rereads the editorial and properly understands the substantive and important issues it addresses. GIHA hopes that having done so, Government will then be able to publish a reply and explain to every Guyanese citizen why the violence continues. GIHA stands firmly by its editorial in Izzat.
Yours faithfully,
Ryhaan Shah
President, Guyana Indian Heritage Association