THE Indians of Guyana do not speak Hindi. Almost 100 per cent of Indians do not speak Hindi. The Africans of Guyana do not speak any language coming out of Africa. The mixed-race group of this country speaks only one language and knows one language only.
The Portuguese of Guyana do not speak the language of Portugal. The people of Guyana are all English-speaking folk and they speak perfect English. How do I know this? I taught at UG for 26 years.
Despite English being the language of Guyana, Guyanese and all other CARICOM nationals have to write an English language test when applying for self-sponsorship to Canada. Applicants from New Zealand, Australia, the UK, US, Ireland and Scotland do not have to meet this language requirement.
The graphic bias in this policy is so shocking that it lacerates one’s mind when one thinks that CARICOM governments have not protested this racially prejudiced policy from the Canadian government.
Why only White countries are exempted from the English test? But what is painful to accept is that Caribbean people when speaking English are clearer in their pronunciation than Irish and Scottish folk.
This policy based on colour will continue unless Third World nations assert themselves in a world of Western domination. There are moments of this assertion and it is expanding, but it needs to be accelerated.
We are seeing this from India and African leaders, but my cup of tea is the man across from my country, President “Lula” of Brazil. “Lula” upheld the dignity of all Brazilians this week to show the world that Brazil is no mediocre country. We will come to that, but first, India.
At the recently concluded G20S Summit in India, Prime Minister Modi refused a Western request for the Ukrainian President to make a special guest appearance. But it was the Speaker of the South African Parliament who weighed in forcefully on the request. Madam Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula asked a piercing question – “Why Ukraine only and not African countries who have similar dilemmas like Ukraine.”?
I think PM Modi made a mistake in denying the Ukrainian request. He should have invited the Ukrainian President but also the Palestinian leaders. Modi could have exposed the double standards of the West.
Had he conceded to the Ukrainians and also allow the Palestinians, the West would have objected to the Palestinian coming and then you would have seen how hypocritical the West is.
Guyana has stopped carrying out the death penalty. I believe this was due to over 15 years of EU pressure. But the EU is extraordinarily close to the US. In another 200 years, Guyana will never develop the close cultural, trade, political and security ties the EU has with the United States.
Yet the EU has not pressured the US to stop executions. Executions continue unabated in the US. The relentless pressure on Guyana over the past 15 years to stop hanging has succeeded.
But a referendum would show that Guyanese do not want the abolition of state executions. Here is where you would see the bullying mentality of the West that we will not see from other huge global powers.
If Guyana holds a referendum on hanging and it favours the retention of the death penalty, the EU would not accept that democratic result, but would insist that we remove hanging. And EU countries and Switzerland hold referendums all the time.
It was a referendum that resulted in the UK leaving the EU. A recent referendum in Switzerland rejected that country joining the EU. This commentator is saying forcefully that if Guyana resumes hanging, it is very likely that EU aid to Guyana would stop. That is how the West approaches the essence of democracy – selectively.
This week, Brazil ordered that Americans, Canadians and Australians have to have a visa to enter Brazil. Before this change these three countries could have entered Brazil visa-free, but Brazilians had to get a visa for those three countries.
There are millions of persons in the US who live below the poverty line. So a derelict anyone could pick himself/herself up, beg for ticket money and travel visa-free to Brazil. But well-to-do Brazilians have to line up to visit the US.
Imagine, a great country like Brazil has to observe visa requirements for Australia and Australians can hop on a plane and enter Brazil visa-free. So here is what Brazil did. Japan requested visa abolition for Brazil. Brazil said Japan must reciprocate. Japan did. Finally, why Guyanese have to get a visa for EU countries? Which Guyanese will overstay their time in Italy, Greece, Belgium, and Denmark? Really!