WHEN Haiti was devastated by Hurricane Sandy a few years ago, American President Barack Obama promised a devastated Haitian nation, “You will not be forgotten.”
Shortly before, then President of Guyana, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, had said, “The haunting images of bodies, injured persons, and ruined buildings struck a chord of compassion throughout our nation for the people of Haiti.” He then pledged US$1 million, along with other means of assistance to the Haitian people.

In comparison with President Obama’s pledge of $100 million, Guyana’s President Jagdeo’s initial and immediate pledge of US$1M may seem small, but measured in scale, the hearts of both presidents measured compassion and caring for humanity with equity.

Today, as our nation agonises in sympathy with impoverished Haiti and other countries that have been devastated by natural catastrophies, taking body blows that will need much goodwill over several years from well-wishers across the world in order to recover, we need to take cognizance that, apart from minor natural phenomena such as floods and drought, ours is a disaster-free country.

Yet we complain about the most trivial of problems, instead of working together to find solutions.  Haiti will certainly rise from its catastrophic tragedy, maybe becoming a greater nation than before, although this may not seem possible at this time.

However, one should not underestimate the power of hope and the human spirit.
While tears and blood were flowing live rivulets in Haiti, the heart of the world was beating in tandem with sympathy, and it is this phenomenon that defines humanity.  This is the power of divinity, a power that crosses every religious divide, because it transcends borders to reach into the quintessence of human compassion.

Dr. Cheddi Jagan has defined the world as one global village, and it is at times of tragedy that mankind melds into a common quantum that supersedes the baser instincts to rise as one combined force battling the forces unleashed by nature.

And while one may be questioning God as to the reason for such tragic incidents periodically vested upon various communities within the global construct, maybe herein lies the answer – that we need to stop, think and act as a human race in cohesion, and maybe it takes great tragedy to catapult the diverse peoples of this world toward cohesive endeavours.

Haiti had been like an impoverished outcast, largely neglected by the international community – yet when catastrophic occurrences demolished its survival systems, the country became the focus of the world, and the President of what is presumed to be the greatest nation in the world promised the Haitian people “You will not be forgotten.”

But before tragedy struck it was a forgotten nation.  Why should we wait until tragedy strikes before we extend a helping hand – to individuals, to communities, to countries?

That helping hand should always be extended – in compassion and with great beneficence; to individuals, communities, and nations in need because, according to Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s “New Gobal Human Order”, the world is one global village peopled with one race – the human race.