GUYANA’s former Prime Minister, Mr. Hamilton Green last month defended dictator Forbes Burnham’s policy of banning the consumption of wheat (and other essential foreign imports) so as to promote the use of local products (letter in SN, Aug 23).

Denying the nation access to flour (wheat) and other basic products was ill advised and it was a gross violation of human rights because these banned products were very much the mainstay of the diet and culture of a vast majority of Guyanese.

Neither Green nor anyone in the then dictatorship nor any of those who supported the policy of banning essential products seemed to have understood the importance of wheat in the life of the Indo-Guyanese.

The role of wheat (and several other products) is prescribed in the Holy Scriptures. As such, any effort to deny them access to wheat is tantamount to religious and cultural genocide and not dissimilar to what the Japanese did to the Koreans or the Turks did to the Armenians.

As a nationalist, economist and a left winger during my early college days, I agreed with the autarchic principle of self-development and self sufficiency.

But I always insisted that local substitutes be close equivalents of banned imports and the policy of supporting a localized economy has to be pursued with sensitivity so as not to deny any ethnic group access to its cultural or religious diet and undertakings. Under Burnham’s policy of local substitutes, neither condition was met.

Green and the PNC government made a gross mistake in banning several essential items that were necessary in the daily life of the Indo-Guyanese which revolves around rituals (poojas and jhandis) from birth (conception in the womb) to death.

The Hindu scriptures prescribed what specific grains must be offered and when. There are different rituals depending on the time of the day, day of the week, week of the month, and month of the year. Each ritual requires offerings of different products (grains, pulses, etc.). Hinduism is not a man made religion; its rituals cannot change at the whims and fancies of man.

Hindusim was established by Bhagwan himself who sent the Gods, Goddesses and their children to live among humans so they can pursue the right path in their lives. Just last week, Hindus celebrated the appearance of Lord Krishna 5,237 years ago and the Gods stated specifically what products must be used in poojas. Krishna loved makhan (butter) and wheat products and for his birthday, Hindus make special sweets for him.

Last month, I visited my ancestral villages on the outskirts of the holiest City of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and at a Ramayana Katha, the Swami explained the importance of some of the products used in Hindu prayers.
The scriptures specifically proscribe the use of wheat, rice, various kinds of dhal, spices, dried fruits (raisins, cherries, prunes, etc.), nuts, ghee, pulses, dhoop, honey, essential oils, incense, sesame seeds, and other products in these elaborate rituals.

The products cannot be substituted and without them the pooja is incomplete and the worshipper gets no blessings. Lord Rama would not accept rice as a replacement for wheat. Lord Jhumraj, the God of death, wants both rice and wheat as offerings for the soul of the deceased to rest in peace.

So, when a government denies people access to any of these products, wheat in particular, it is denying them religious and cultural freedom.

And wheat (like dhal) also is the main staple of the diet of Indians; Indians consume dhal almost nightly.

When India faced a shortage of wheat and lacked foreign currency during the 1970s, it did not criminalize the consumption of wheat.

The Indian government found the money to purchase foreign wheat as the government recognized that wheat is not only important in the diet of Indians, it is the largest part of their religious ceremonies.

The scripture says prasad in poojas must be made from wheat. Even Indian Muslims use flour in the preparation of sirni and mithai which are blessed as offerings in Koran Shariefs.

The Mulvis often used wheat flour and rice to jharay people. Mohanbhog, made from flour, is blessed by the priests as offerings to Jesus at Christian Indian services.

In today’s world, what took place (banning many essential goods) in Guyana during the dictatorship would be referred to as cultural genocide and contrary to what Green thinks had the perpetrators of such misguided policy attempted to impose it now, they would be subjected to same kinds of genocide charges now facing the oppressive rulers of Rwanda, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Liberia, etc.

It is hoped that now that Green and others who ill-conceived the policy of banning products essential to Indian religious observance are now “educated” about the importance of pulse, grains, dried fruits, spices, oils, etc. in the daily life of an Indian.

Contrary to what Green thinks, Guyanese would never be proud of consuming puri, roti, rote, mithai, sirni, mohanbhog etc. from rice powder as rice powder cannot make these products.

But Guyanese would feel proud of those who display the courage to say the policy banning the above products was a gross mistake and they eagerly await an apology from those with ties to the dictatorship.