Dear Editor
Most Guyanese have concluded that the country has no organized Civil Society. Those who claim to represent Civil Society can easily be seen as partisan and their efforts geared to help one political group or the other.
A few days ago one writer in the newspapers called upon the churches to speak up. If there is a single group that should be unafraid to address social issues is the church. In the book of Amos, the prophet speaking under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit in Amos 5:24 declared, “But let judgement run down as waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Recently the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has decided to deport large numbers of hapless Venezuelans who sought refuge in that country from the difficult times experienced in their own homeland.
To many in the Caribbean this is a heartless decision and certainly there should be a better way of handling this matter. To its credit, Guyana has been very accommodating to the Venezuelans but not to the Haitians. No reasonable or rational person could pretend that they do not understand the difficulties faced by the Haitians in their homeland.
The Haitians like so many other nationals from around the world are fleeing economic hardships with the hope of finding some footing in another country. However, quite often in Guyana the Haitians are hounded, harassed, and humiliated far more than any other group entering or passing through Guyana.
There have been times when parents were separated from children for long periods without any communications. There were times when detainees hand their property stolen by the very law enforcement officials who had the responsibility of securing the items.
Further still, while the Haitians were detained the persons interviewing or interrogating them provided them with no interpreters, instead they could be heard shouting as loudly as they can or speaking as slowly as they can as if such antics would convert English to French or Haitian creole.
In light of all of the above I am calling on the churches to provide help and support to this unfortunate group of persons. Government personnel dealing with these persons should remember that Haiti is a member of Caricom and their citizens should be treated no different than the others.
Guyanese should never forget that Barbados had a bench set aside for us whenever we
landed at their international airport. We hated that experience. Remember that apart from their heroic and historic struggles Haitians too are Children of God.
Regards
Aubrey Retemyer
