Green offers no credible evidence to castigate Desmond Alli

Jun 10, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

I respond to Hamilton Green’s retort making reference to me (Jun 4). I agree “that racial healing will come only if we know the whole truth and nothing but the truth”. But whose truth is it, from whose narrative? We don’t agree on the version of historical events as he disputes accounts of others? Perhaps a Truth and Reconciliation Commission will address that concern.
Green was writing about the violence unleashed on the 3,000 Indian community in Wismar, MacKenzie and Christianburg and challenged Desmond Alli, myself and others to dispute his account of the violent episode that culminated on May 26 in which Indians were ethnically cleansed from the area. Wismar and surrounding areas were thriving communities with Indians and Africans in warm friendly relations, getting on well. It was one of the few areas to escape racial violence until the Indians were set upon resulting in the single-most horrific incident of racial terrorism since slavery in Guyana. Even the White man did not engage in such atrocities, not even in India and Africa post slavery. Indian homes, businesses, temple, and masjid attacked in Greater Wismar in the vilest manner.
Green has his history all wrong. Green stated that the violence against Indians was a result of the killing of an African in Mahaicony area. Assuming his version is correct, does Green really believe that the killing of one person from an ethnic community, unsolved by the rulers at the time on who did the killing, justify the massacre of an entire race belonging to another community? We must reject and never justify racial violence.
Green also cited the Arthur Abraham home fire and the explosion on the Sun Chapman. They could not be triggering factors for the genocide at Wismar and surrounding communities. And at any rate, it was never determined by British forensic experts who were responsible for both incidents. Abraham was Portuguese, which community had limited linkage to Wismar. The Abraham house fire occurred on June 12, 1964 way after the Wismar Indian Massacre. The Sun Chapman bombing occurred on July 6, way after the Wismar Indian Massacre that happened on May 26. He mentioned the killing of Ishmael, an African, in Tain. It was an unfortunate incident and Green did not provide background. There was a sugar workers strike. African scab workers from Allness, Lancaster, Liverpool, and other African villages were brought in daily by truck to break the strike. A bomb was placed on the road, exploding under the truck in Jones (not Tain) resulting in death and injuries. It was not a tit for tat racially inspired violence. It was labour related. And it happened long before the Wismar massacre and thus could not be a precursor to it. I believe an Indian also died and several injured in that explosion
Green calls out Ali and myself as revisionist, rewriting history. Who is the real revisionist here? Green calls on us to avoid repeating of mistakes and errors; he needs to heed his own message first.
And contrary to what he penned, Dr Jagan consistently opposed May 26 as Guyana’s independence day citing unequivocally that the Wismar Massacre of Indians happened then. Dr Jagan suggested alternative dates. But Burnham insisted on May 26. Jagan and the PPP MPs did not wholeheartedly participate in independence day celebrations when the Union Jack was lowered and the Guyana flag hoisted. PPP MPs isolated themselves at a wooden pavilion and did not cheer the events. Jagan was supportive of independence but not May 26. Supporters of the PPP blanked the celebration. It was a sad, mournful day for Indians as I recalled as a child. For decades, there were no celebrations among Indians on May 26th.
Green castigated Desmond Alli on citing historical events. Alli is a decent, honourable, non-racial artist who works closely with Afro-Guyanese. Green has not provided one iota of evidence to negate Alli’s assertion that “the nation still wallow in lies of our history”. Rulers and even followers pretend certain events didn’t happen as though they will be erased from history. Instead of giving clarification and bringing healing, Green’s letter has done the opposite. It is fodder for division. Green’s recount of history is repugnant; perhaps he is losing his memory. If his account was so accurate, why he did not submit these “facts” to justify the violence to the Commission of Inquiry on Wismar. Is it because he knows they were not substantive. The lengths to which Green goes to evade accuracy of events is incredible.

Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram

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