AWARD winning Guyanese author Dr. Chaitram Singh, who won in the category of Best First Book of Fiction at the 2012 Guyana Prize for Literature, was honoured recently when he became the first Guyanese guest speaker at the Naturalization Ceremony for new US citizens at the United States Federal District Court, Northern Georgia District.
The US-based Guyanese was warmly introduced by US Federal Judge Walter Johnson, who highlighted his accomplishments thus far as a Guyanese writer.
At the simple ceremony, 60 individuals took the oath of US citizenship that day. About six of them came from India, approximately six from Mexico, twelve from Africa, two from Australia, two from Canada, a few from the Philippines, and the remainder from South Korea.
HIGHEST HONOUR
In his welcome, Dr. Singh highlighted the importance of celebrating the country that had graciously conferred on them, the highest honour it can, to a group of people who were not born there. He further emphasised the importance of obeying the law and properly constituted authority, voting, paying taxes, serving on a jury, and if applicable, registering with the selective service commission. “Those, of course, are the barest minimum; but membership of any community involves greater obligations,” Dr. Singh said.
“So what does it mean to be an American? Obviously, we are all physically different; we speak the English language with varying degrees of proficiency, and with different accents. But when you cross international boundaries carrying a U.S. passport, you are treated as an American and the law in the country makes no distinction between native-born and naturalized Americans, except in qualifications for the highest office in the land,” he said.
The author further elaborated on the concept of “hard work” which he noted is greatly admired and rewarded in the American society. “I don’t mean just physical work… Hard work entails refining and employing your God-given talents toward self-sustenance and to making a useful contribution to the society in which you live,” he noted.
EXCEPTIONALISM
He further encouraged them to think of themselves as exceptional because it will inspire them to live above the common level of life, to orient their lives to a higher purpose and, by their own exceptional efforts, to make real the very notion of exceptionalism.
“An exceptional American will not betray the oath you have just taken. An exceptional American will not collaborate with terrorists, drug peddlers, human traffickers, or other nefarious individuals or groups who deliberately or otherwise contribute to the corrosion of the moral fabric of this society or to undermining its system of constitutional government,” Dr. Singh concluded.
(By Ravin Singh)
