By Francis Quamina Farrier

SHOULD Guyanese of a certain age be officially discriminated against? Should Guyanese of a certain age be officially euthanised? Is growing older in Guyana becoming a crime officially punishable by death? I suspect that with those three strange questions, you are already seeing where I’m going. Yes; many older persons in Guyana are being discriminated against, precisely because they are older persons. In some instances, that discrimination results in their premature demise.

The reason why I have commenced this feature article in such a dramatic way is because of the many open comments in Guyana, in more recent years, against older Guyanese citizens. Some people openly question whether someone is “Fit and Proper” to be appointed to certain positions, or to remain in certain positions, based entirely on their age. The fact that these older Guyanese are enjoying relatively good health and are still in possession of their youthful zeal for life and living, seems never to be considered; it’s just about the number they state when they are asked their age. That dooms them classified to be discriminated against. For those on the receiving end of this negative growing trend, it is becoming somewhat frightening.

While the mandatory age for retirement from the Public Service is 55, there are many positions which retired persons can fill and perform creditably and continue to contribute to the ongoing development of Guyana; a country which is still classified as one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. For those who do not know me, they will certainly recognise that I am an elderly person due to what they read in my feature articles. But here I am, living and doing what I love, in a way that I could not have done when I was 40- half the age I am now.

I was shaken to the core when, at 17:52 hrs on September 1, 2008, an extremely powerful Guyanese official went on record making the following statement: “I am fed up with the old people. They had their time. They must go one side and let the young people learn from their own mistakes.” What was more frightening, was that this statement was made in the presence of impressionable young people who are now 10 years older, and are now young adults who are about to take their places as national leaders in the Guyanese society. One can only wonder whether a seed was planted 10 years ago into the minds of those youngsters and which continues to grow and ready to produce a bitter harvest, after hearing that statement by someone who had, and still has, tremendous power and influence over thousands of young minds in Guyana.

Last year, Guyanese were shocked at the news of two elderly female citizens discovered murdered by home invaders in their Georgetown home. There was also an elderly female who had re-migrated, and was murdered, also by home invaders, at her home at Amelia’s Ward, in Linden. And there are sadly, many other elderly persons who have been murdered, some even by close relatives. Elders certainly need more protection both in their homes and in the public domain. One such public domain is in the minibuses, which for the better part, treat elders very shabbily. We know of the case not so long ago, when an elderly passenger was so roughed-up by a minibus conductor that the poor gentleman collapsed shortly after and died. I am unaware whether that minibus conductor, with blood on his hands, has ever been apprehended and charged for manslaughter.

On December 14, 1990, The United Nations General Assembly designated October 1, “The International Day of Older Persons” which is a day “intended to highlight the need to stand against ageism and to promote the development of a society that is hospitable to people of all ages.” October has also been designated “The Month of the Elderly” by the United Nations. In Guyana, the Ministry of Social Protection is tasked with the official mandate to ensure that senior citizens in the country are neither discriminated against or abused in any way. There is also the National Commission for the Elderly which also looks into the care and protection of elders, including those who reside in senior homes. Visits are made to those senior homes from time to time and notes were taken of the standards applied – good, average or poor – and the necessary action to be taken.

“Three Religious Services – Christian, Muslim and Hindu” – will be held during October, according to Everette De Leon, who is the Chairperson of the National Commission for the Elderly. There will also be public awareness programmes aired on radio and television. The recently launched New Dawn Clubs in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven, will also have a variety of programmes during the month.

In two previous feature articles in the Pepperpot Magazine, I wrote with the focus on growing older; one was entitled, “Do not be afraid of old age”. The other was, “This elderly gentleman welcomes age 80”. That being said, I know of many Guyanese elders who worry about their golden years. Some worry themselves to an earlier deat, but not all. Many elders continue to live full lives, making sterling contributions to the continuing development of Guyana.

Elders who would have retired from the Public Service and from private companies have gone on to doing extremely well in other ventures. Retired police and prison officers as well as soldiers, for example, have gone on to serve in private security firms. Retired judges and educators have found new careers in religion and commissions, for example, retired Headmistress of The Bishop’s High School, Maureen Massiah, who is now the Senior Pastor of the St. Andrew’s Kirk. Retired Justice Oslyn Small is now the Senior Pastor at Smith’s Memorial Congregational Church. Some educators have continued teaching in private schools while a few have gone on to work in private companies, including the media.

Popular folklorist of the 1970s and 1980s, Guyanese-born, Toronto-based Pauline Thomas aka Auntie Comsee, now in her late 80s, is someone who elders can emulate. When in her late 70s, she enrolled in a five-year course at the University of Toronto and graduated. Her philosophy in this, her Golden Years, is “Enjoy when you can. Endure when you must.” And in an online survey I took, here are a few of the comments I received regarding being active during old age:

“You can continue to do what you love best until you yourself decide to stop”.
“Elders should be there to guide, mentor and support young persons who are filled with zeal, but are not exposed to the intricacies of everyday life.”
“I definitely believe elderly people in Guyana should have more opportunities to keep them occupied.”

“As long as you have life and you are in your right mind, why not be active?”
“Young people are the future, but older people form the very foundation for the future. We should respect our older folks.”

Retired Headmaster Hilton Lewis, who resides in Georgetown, is enjoying pretty good health and is a very active person. He can be seen fairly often in downtown Georgetown going about his business unaided. He travels overseas from time to time and is scheduled to pay another visit to his son, William who resides in New York. Hilton Lewis, who is the cousin of former Police Commissioner, the late Laurie Lewis, possesses the aura of an educator and can still teach the younger ones quite a lot. He has a beautiful tenor voice and sings musical compositions in four languages. Two of our national fighters for Guyana’s Independence, Ashton Chase and Eusi Kwayana – both in their mid-90s – are still with us and enjoying good health.

During the 15 years I produced the Radio Programme Series, “The Eighty Plus Club” in which I interviewed over 500 elders in all of Guyana’s 10 Regions, all CARICOM member states, America, Canada and Britain, also Australia and New Zealand, I have learned quite a lot of what makes seniors tick. And just in case you are interested, here are three items of Guyanese senior trivia; the longest living Guyanese author was E.R Braithwaite, of “To Sir, With Love”, who passed on at age 104. He was active up the very day he passed. The longest living East Indian Immigrant in Guyana was Bibi (name uncertain) of Guava Bush, Albion, Corentyne Coast, who passed on at age 111 years. The longest known living Guyanese was Mathilda Lewis who died in Georgetown at age 113 years. She was sharp of mind and discussed national and international affairs up to the very end. I had the pleasure of interviewing all of these elders and featured them on my Radio Programme series, “The Eighty Plus Club”.