October is here. I wouldn’t delve into its history. The historians say that it was the eighth month of the year way back when, centuries before Christ was born. The Romans then added January and February to the calendar year but October retained its name from the days when it was the eighth month. It is now the tenth month of the year.
There are many jokes surrounding the situation. When February was added, the architects borrowed some days from other months but not enough to make it as long as the other months. It does get an extra day every four years and so becomes a leap month.
A comedian said that someone asked a local politician to state the number of calendar months in a year. The politician said twelve. The person then asked the politician to state the number of calendar months in a leap year. The politician said thirteen.
This may explain why Guyana is still struggling despite the oil wealth.
October is breast cancer month. Many people the world over have lost loved ones to breast cancer. There have been a number of survivors, and still more undergoing cancer treatment. The colour dedicated to this month is pink. It is always refreshing to see a sea of pink each year at this time.
It shows solidarity with the unfortunate.
In the cricketing world, in Australia, one ground is covered in pink for a Test match in memory of Jane McGrath, the wife of former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath. She succumbed to breast cancer in 2008.
In England, Lords cricket ground was decked in red, recently, in honour of Ruth Strauss, the wife of former English Test player, Andrew Strauss. She died in 2018 of incurable lung cancer. She never smoked.
In Guyana, the telephone company that now goes by the name One Communication, has designated this month, Pinktober, in honour of breast cancer victims and to draw awareness to cancer in all its forms.
There are other things that should be remembered this month yet for some reason they are not. Every October I remember October 6, 1976. I had flown out of Guyana to Jamaica to pursue studies the previous Wednesday, September 29.
There may be people who cussing me for being here today but as some say, there is a reason and a purpose for everything.
Sitting in a living room on University Crescent and watching a small black and white TV, the news hit that a plane had exploded over Barbados. On that plane were a number of young people from Guyana heading to Cuba to further their education.
They had spent six weeks with me at Camp Papaya in the North West, doing National Service. None knew that they had a few more days to live. Their bodies were never recovered.
Some say that the plane exploded a mere three miles of the Barbados coast. The Bajans say that it was eleven miles offshore.
The then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham made a heartrending speech at the site of the 1763 Monument. He asked Barbados to try the criminals. Barbados denied having jurisdiction. Burnham then asked that the men be given to Guyana. That did not happen.
It was a long time ago but the incident is still fresh. It took the Cubans to help erect a monument in Guyana, to those who perished on the Cubans aircraft—CU455.
For a time, there were memorial activities to remember the victims, among whom were eleven Guyanese. Today, the event is all but forgotten. We still remember the Enmore Martyrs, five of them, who were killed 76 years ago.
Of course, the observances are not as impacting as they used to be. We are a people who have very short memories. Something happens and at the time it seems so humongous. A few days later and it is as though that thing never happened.
Someone once described Guyana as a seven-day wonder. Seven days after something happens and it is as though it never happened. Perhaps, we live for the moment. The government in the face of problems, announces a token financial handout. People soon forget the problem.
That is why the government feels that it is always good to keep the people in poverty. Panaceas are readily available.
Then there was another event that the world would recognise in October. Israel had been bombing Gaza and Lebanon to rubble in pursuit of Hezbollah and Hamas. It also targeted and killed the Hezbollah leader in Iran.
Iran responded with a barrage of missiles, yesterday. Some were intercepted but many got through, striking targets. Some fear that this may be the start of a Third world war—a war that would be different from all the others.
The threat of nuclear war is real. There are countries with arsenals that could annihilate the world. Each country has strategic partners. Fortunately, many of these partners appear to be sitting on the fence. However, one mistake could tip the balance.
So here we are in Guyana refusing to make people’s lives better. A global conflict would make the situation worse. It is time the government pays attention to the citizens.
And when such conflicts have the attention of the major powers smaller powers may be tempted to make a move. There is no need to spell this out.
While all eyes are on the Middle East some are on the local weather. It is astronomically hot. Even the fans are pushing hot air. Many have never been to hell but one can hear them saying that the place is hot like hell.
The comedians say that if this is the sun they would not like to meet the Father. Fortunately, the blackouts are not as bad as they were a few weeks ago.
