Dear Editor,
AS Guyanese, we are well aware as to the naysayers and prophets of doom, whose daily, fervent hope and prayers are for failures to be the daily lot of the current government, even at a national event such as Mashramani.

For these people — and they know who they are — the well-known, and perhaps, accepted, tradition of grudge politics is often extended to even national events that will have a  bearing on the socio-economic life of not only citizens, but also the national good as well.

But I must be specific, as I wish to focus on the recently concluded Mashramani 48 celebrations. The common message was one of unity, the biggest, and most nationalistic, because of the presence and participation of all the country’s ethnic groups in all the regions. For, even the Chinese, better known for their reclusive style, social wise, could have been seen among the huge crowds. And this would have been apart from their contribution to the cultural show at the D’Urban Park stadium.

Editor, at times, tragedy is an unannounced, unexpected and brutal intruder; particularly the type that is premeditated, such as the murder of the Japanese tourist in Trinidad and Tobago, during the Carnival season of 2016; also, the tragic accident that claimed the life of a young female American mother, participating in Antigua’s Carnival in 2016.

Both tragedies shocked the respective island-states, as they would, especially at a time when such had not been expected to happen. However, Guyana’s carnival had no such visitation of the unexpected, though I should mention that there was a fire on the city outskirts that reportedly claimed the life of an octogenarian. This incident,was one that was beyond the remit of state security personnel and may have been caused by human error or some other related instance.

Our security was assured for a virtually crime-free Mashramani 48; kudos must go to those in charge of protecting Guyanese lives and property — the Guyana Police Force. Thus, the haters who want Guyana to continue to be divided have had their expectations dashed.
Regards,
Troy Garraway