OUR world would be filled with injustice without the presence and voices and even penmanship of courageous men and women especially like our Roman Catholic priest Fr Bernard Darke SJ, whose 30th death anniversary we marked this week. Something I’ve always been hearing especially from family, friends and well- wishers is that if I am not afraid that people would victimize me for my tact and candid letters in the newspapers over the past years. Some have even asked me to shut my mouth, so to speak, while others keep warning me to be careful of what I say.

A major regret I have is retracting my statements about a New Amsterdam health facility last year after a lengthy letter in the newspapers implicating the same facility for negligence and poor standards. I really did not have the time to engage the authorities of this facility in a legal battle; hence, I sought the easy way out and did what they asked me to do—to retract the accusations. I am aware that action made my writings, especially those that dealt with accusations, less credible.

Editor of the Catholic Standard, Mr. Colin Smith, in last weekend’s edition said that Father Darke could’ve stayed at St Stanislaus College that fateful morning to mark exam papers, but rather he chose to be a part of a demonstration which eventually saw him being pursued and killed.

How many people in our Guyanese society today have been staying inside to mark the exam papers instead of going outside to join the cause for justice and speaking out? How many of us  rather sit back, watch, quarrel in our own little corners, but have not the courage nor valour to be a voice for the underprivileged, those taken advantage of, the under deprived, and the forgotten? How many of us have the might to keep those elected and those who hold high offices in our land honest? Not many I tell you.

If we had more cooperation from such persons, Guyana would’ve been a much better place today. If we had more Father Darkes, Cheddi Jagan, Walter Rodney and other brave men and women in our society today, our Guyana would be such a fine place to live.

Today, there is a deafening silence among even our religious leaders—men and women of God. Even many of our Catholic priests in Guyana today (maybe because of what resulted in Fr Darke’s outspokenness) are hesitant to even comment on our office bearers, government leaders and political issues in Guyana. Issues such as abortion, the death penalty, gambling, sexual promiscuity, gay marriages, domestic violence, murders, corruption within the government, and other moral issues and injustices are very touchy issues these days even for them to talk openly about.

Priests in America would spare no time in attacking whoever is in government and publicly disagreeing with such policies. For example, the U.S. Catholic Church has openly and strongly taken a stand on President Obama’s funding of abortion clinics and even legalising gay marriage.

I always believe that I live in a free country—a democratic country where I have a right to be heard no matter what. Maybe one day I would be penalised for speaking out. If that day comes hope I live to tell of it. That would only make me more determined to do what I have to do. I call it how I see it. Wrong is wrong and there is not two ways about it.
LEON J. SUSERAN