Dear Editor,
I hold the deepest respect for former Prime Minister and Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Hamilton Green — a man whose service and experience have helped shape the history of this nation. His recent interview, published on October 27, 2025, under the headline “Afro-Guyanese Must Reclaim Their History and Reject the Politics of Erasure”, carries valuable truth and a powerful reminder of the painful legacy of slavery and cultural disconnection that African Guyanese endured.
Mr. Green’s words echo an important reality — that Afro-Guyanese, through centuries of oppression, were stripped of their roots, faith, and identity. This acknowledgment must not be dismissed; it is part of the truth of our nation’s journey. We must never ignore or downplay the historic injustices that have left deep scars on any section of our people.
However, while I agree with Mr. Green to some extent, I must also sound a word of caution. If we, as leaders and citizens, begin to encourage political or social movements along ethnic lines — whether Afro-Guyanese or Indo-Guyanese — we risk tearing apart the very foundation of our national unity. If Indo-Guyanese were to echo a similar call to “reclaim” their space in opposition to others, we would find ourselves in the same dangerous breath of racial division. Such paths lead not to empowerment, but to estrangement and suspicion.
No political party can truly build or win an election by appealing to one ethnicity alone. Our country’s progress depends on the unity and contribution of all its people — Afro-Guyanese, Indo-Guyanese, Amerindians, Portuguese, Chinese, and every other group that calls Guyana home. As the late President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham once said, “We need all ethnicities on board to build Guyana.” Those words remain as relevant today as they were decades ago.
Guyana’s strength lies in diversity. To reclaim our histories must not mean to retreat into separate corners; it must mean to recognize and celebrate every people’s story as part of one national narrative. Healing and empowerment cannot come from exclusion — they can only come from understanding, respect, and shared purpose. The historians are there to tell that the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) was never a party of race but inclusion but the current leadership has failed miserably to unite the party at all levels. I will want to encourage Mr. Green as he is one of the oldest and elders from the foundation of the PNC/R, don’t let your sweat be forgotten while you are alive.
Let us therefore reclaim our history, yes — but also reclaim our humanity. Let us rise above the politics of race and walk together as Guyanese, for only together can we build the Guyana we all deserve.