Apology welcomed, timely and appropriate but by no means adequate-MP Walton-Desir

By Nicole Telford- In contextualising  Gladstone apologists, it should be viewed as the beginning of a process that could initiate the CARICOM ten-point plan/step. Sharing with a group of protesters Walton-Desir said “We really need to look at the significant work that the CARICOM Secretariat has done in relation to reparations to deal with the issues in relation to national and international reconciliation.”

Those were some of the points raised by Opposition parliamentarian, Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ms. Amanza Walton-Desir, who attended the descendants of former Slave Owners, Gladstone Plantation July 25th 2023 Apology, on the 200th Anniversary of the Demerara Slave Rebellion, held at the University of Guyana.

Walton- Desir in speaking with the online program “In The Ring” acknowledged too that yes the forum was emotional, raised anger, deep emotions and drew protest from varying groups of people, but noted that what should be understood is we must move forward and in deciding how to execute moving forward, she said,

  “The CARICOM Reparations Commission did extensive work with meetings, caucuses throughout Guyana the Caribbean to come up with a ten-point plan and it is a good road map to follow and it begins first with an apology, a full formal apology. “

The Opposition parliamentarian said the ten-point plan speaks to our repatriation, cultural institutions, the public health crisis four hundred years of slavery would have precipitated, issues of literacy and technology transfer in relation to the industrialisation of western nations and the role societies such as ours played. The shadow minister believes that these are strong points to use as a foundation for a road map to be moving forward.

She noted that she was honoured to be a part of step one, “acknowledgement that this grave crime against humanity was committed and therefore laying the groundwork for us to now move forward to deal with the legacy of trauma and tribulation that still, to a large degree haunts us, this Guyanese society and the descendants of enslaved Africans up to today.”