Unite and arise, Guyanese brothers and sisters!

Jan 22, 2019 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR

This literary appeal is written in disapproval of the tensions and hate developing amongst my fellow Guyanese brothers and sisters, including the perverse exclusion of and unwise discrimination against dual citizens from faithfully serving the land of their birth.
I encourage all Guyanese, whichever part of the globe you may be, to immediately choose unity over strife, cohesion over division, reason over rage, and law and peace over war. Some of the hate mongers are doing this for selfish reasons that only further their own interests and agenda – not the nation’s collective welfare.
Most importantly, we are at the threshold of our country’s history where we can achieve greatness in prosperity, dignity and nationhood, as our resources are being fully revealed and harnessed.
Some of us have collectively fought against systems here in the USA, Canada, the UK and elsewhere, where we are treated like orphans and second class citizens, where strength can only come from unity, understanding, forgiveness and brotherhood. We learnt.
If you dare challenge these systems, albeit for your community’s greater good, you will be targeted by any of the millions of laws that can be invoked to silence or destroy you. Remember, your most tangible gains and democratic victories were won by expatriate Guyanese, many of whom are dual citizens, benefitting you, “our Guyanese brothers and sisters back home.”
Overseas-based Guyanese all across the globe will confirm, from experience, that there are granite ceilings, concrete walls and land mines erected to suppress those of us who confront and seek inclusion in the status quo, empowerment and participation in these and similar countries supposedly built on truth, justice and equality.
I know from personal experience. I have endured that. I have seen and fought the evil that targets and marginalizes the best and most caring amongst us. My blood, sweat and tears took me to the mountain top.
Make no mistake, wherever we are, Guyanese and West Indians have to fight for everything, and work very hard, sometimes doing multiple jobs to make ends meet. Yet, our potential is limitless, our future bountiful, and our prosperity is at stake. It is in our hands.
There is no place for divisions, based on race, citizenship or otherwise. A Guyanese is, and will always be, a Guyanese, in his heart of hearts. However, unless we unite and fight against fragmentation, our enemies and naysayers, within and outside of Guyana, will eviscerate our sovereignty, integrity, birthright and future. Take warning!
Keep your eyes on the prize. Unite and Arise, Guyana!
UNITE AND ARISE, GUYANA!

Mother of my navel string, I fear for you,
Your children are destroying your family,
As they make strife and fight each other,
While the deadly wolves lay in wait, licking their lips,
Silently waiting to devour any trace of them.

The vultures also circle high above expectantly,
Sensing that civil war and sibling blood will soon present them prey,
Other beasts gather in for the kill, waiting to strike,
While the golden arrowhead cringes,
Silently weeping at what it sees unfolding.

Open your eyes and ears, sons and daughters of Guyana,
Listen to the painful cries and echoes of the ghosts of your ancestors,
Still haunting and roaming in the eerie silence of the plantation graveyards,
Trying to whisper in your ear, reminding you of yesteryear, “El Dorado has come,
No, no, that is not the way, we are but one people, one nation, and one destiny.”

Wake up, Guyanese, Wake up, man!
Be your brother’s and sister’s keeper,
Do not turn your backs on each other,
Unite and fight the real enemy,
The interlopers lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce.

Remember your fore parents’ collective suffering and servitude,
Their diverse blood that is mixed deep and courses proudly through your veins,
The real enemy will reverse the hands of time,
And while they divide and conquer, they will steal your future prosperity,
While you fight amongst, and kill off each other.

Unite and arise, children of Makonaima, stop fighting for scraps!
Keep your eyes on the prize, you will soon reap the harvest,
Unprecedented prosperity for all for generations to come,
There’s enough for all whose navel strings are buried within your sovereignty,
Yes, awake, for no one can stop us now, except ourselves.

Greatness beckons you, utopia is at your door, hear them knocking,
Don’t be swine that grunt away your future pearls,
Be worthy, stop the hate and strife, and embrace each other,
Big up, wise up children, and extend the hand of sibling love,
All Guyanese belong, for whether foreign or local, we are one.

Unite, be vigilant and walk into a new dawn together,
Put down your weapons, heed what matters most,
Rally together and fight the real enemies,
The slickly clad overseas corporations who will suck your oil money dry,
The contentious neighboring dictators who shamelessly covet our country’s resources.

Do not treat your brothers and sisters like orphans and prodigals,
They, like you, broke the same bondage and share the same heritage,
How dare you call them strangers and exclude them as dual citizens?
When they carried you in your darkest days?
Wake up, children of Guyana, wake up, please!

Albert Baldeo

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