Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 03, 2009 Letters
Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter from Mr. Norman Faria, captioned, “Why mention race of Guyanese of Chinese descent?” (GC 26/11).
Mr Faria sometimes falls into unrealistic sentimentality in his writings as when he attacks SN and Kaieteur News for disreputable journalism. But his main bone of contention is that recent Chinese immigrants should not be called “Chinese”.
For Mr. Faria’s information may I point out the following:-
(i) Chinese businesses, of whatever kind they are, always prominently put their sign boards in the Chinese language, though the natives of Guyana do not read this language.
The insistence on the use of Chinese writing on all Chinese businesses clearly implies that these people aggressively wish to be identified as Chinese.
(ii) Many businesses actually call themselves names like “China Traders” or even “Chino”(Chinaman). A reporter runs the risk of insulting such people by describing them as other nationalities (e.g. Guyanese), or indeed no nationality.
(iii) All Chinese restaurants prominently label themselves “Chinese Restaurants” on their notice boards. A reporter who calls a Chinese restaurant something else than “Chinese restaurant” would be doing something offensive to the owner.
(iv) Chinese officials and local Chinese immigrants speak of “Home Chinese” and “Overseas Chinese”. “Home Chinese” live in China and “Overseas Chinese” live in Guyana and overseas places. The newspaper reporter who described the immigrant Chinese restaurant owner as “Chinese” could not be faulted.
(v) In Chinese culture, all non-Chinese are regarded as ghosts (Kwayee) and the practitioners of this culture make a notable “adjustment” when they arrive here: They call Black People “Black Kwayee” or “Black Jumbee”. And, in any case, Chinese have always believed in race superiority from time immemorial since they have always called all non-Chinese people “Barbarians”. I wish Mr. Faria would pontificate about how reprehensible this contemptuous term is.
Mr. Faria’s attack on the newspapers and their reporters is ill-informed and ill-founded.
V. Redman
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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