The day after…

…Indian arrival
So the songs have been sung, the speeches have been made, and the dances have been performed. What now? Well, at least, we can look back about what went down this last “Indian Arrival Day”. For one, non-Indian politicians were quite conspicuous by their absence from the various celebrations held all over the place.
What’s going on? Politicians don’t care what a crowd might be celebrating…it could be a public hanging for all they care. Once there’s a crowd, they’ll be there, pressing the flesh and hoping for recognition…if not a vote. Could it be they weren’t invited? Naaahhh! Couldn’t be. We saw a pic of Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan at an event in Berbice. They were in the second row, behind the Regional Chairman David Armogan.
Who was the protocol officer? A regional chairman outranks a presidential candidate, a leader of a party, and a member of parliament, all rolled into one? A man who believes he controls the balance of power in Guyana? What the heck? You could tell from his eyes that Ramjattan was quite agitated. But later for that.
The point we want to make is that if the Alliance For Change (AFC) was invited, how come Nigel Hughes and other non-Indians didn’t show up? If you listen to these fellas, they’re the only authentic “multi-racial” party in Guyana. So they’re only “multi-racial” when they hop onto a political stage? No, that’s not quite what goes on. We’ve seen the Indian “brothers” at the Emancipation bash and elsewhere with the “one love” message. Looks like the love only flows in one direction.
But we heard that things were somewhat different over at a Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) bash over by the convention centre. While there were only the Indian politicians – Ramjattan and Dr Frank Anthony – the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) was evidently not only invited but actually spoke. Well, one of their reps spoke…Eric Philips …and we’re assuming he was vetted. Looks like Dr Anthony is determined to push the idea that – all groups are covered under the “Arrival umbrella”. He may have some problems with ex-Chief Magistrate Juliet Holder-Allen. She’s said in no uncertain terms – “Not me!!!!”
There was some criticism of the Dharmic Sabha’s Bollywood-style singing bash over at the stadium on Arrival Day. One fella from Berbice who has a thing against Rubenesque women complained it was “fund-raising”. What’s wrong about that if the funds would be helping the descendants of those who “arrived”? Home for abused children.
Rum till ah die
But that’s more than can be said for what one other prominent Indian is doing in these arrival events. When Indians were brought to Guyana, alcohol wasn’t big in their villages. The habit was foisted on them over here. It wasn’t quite by accident that the manager of the sugar estates allowed Portuguese and Chinese rum shops opposite the pay offices.
So, today alcoholism is the most dreaded problem in Indian communities. Name the social problem and you’ll find a nexus with alcohol. And guess who’s one of the biggest suppliers of rum in Guyana? You hit the jackpot.
But the irony takes a cruel turn when you discover that such rum companies sponsor a host of the chutney shows where the golden brew flows like the Essequibo River.
These people celebrating Arrival Day should spend as much time looking to the future as they do to the past. There’ll be no future if alcohol abuse isn’t curbed.