THE change over from monarchy to republicanism in 1970 was an act of historical commitment to those that the British Empire colonised and brutalised. I doubt there is a Guyanese back then and now who disagreed with the change.

On February 23, the day we threw off the last symbol of monarchy in Guyana, the Stabroek News ran an editorial that has disgraced Guyana, CARICOM nations and the gamut of countries that have endured slavery, colonialism and post-colonial neo-colonialism.

CARICOM has not had consensus on its relations with the West since its formation. Prime Ministers, Edward Seaga of Jamaica; Eugenia Charles of Dominica, and Tom Adams of Barbados tended toward a foreign policy that was not strong in Third World solidarity.

But the overall attitude of every CARICOM leader, from the West Indian Federation through to CARIFTA and finally to CARICOM is one that steers a pathway clear from Western domination of the Third World and solidarity with countries in the Third World that want to build a nation free from economic exploitation.

No greater example of this is the presence of Chinese investors in most, if not all of the CARICOM states today. One of the great achievements of CARICOM nations despite different ideological difference among Prime Ministers stretching back to the West Indian Federation is the rejection of Western interpretation of epistemology. That was natural for the colonies and Eric Williams’ masterpiece, “From Capitalism to Slavery” was an immense contribution in this regard.

Six potent factors, other than the Williams book, weakened the continuation of colonial epistemology in the West Indies after Independence. First, there was the strong socialist commitment of the PPP party in Guyana at the beginning of the 1950s and secondly, the Cuban Revolution.

Thirdly, Guyana’s and by extension, CARICOM’s penetrating role in the Non-Aligned Movement. Fourthly, the popularization of Rasta music by Bob Marley in the CARICOM region. Fifthly, the influence on the region of the Maurice Bishop/New Jewel Movement revolution in Grenada. Sixthly, the revulsion of Western support for apartheid in South Africa.

By the time the Non-Aligned Movement had passed on and globalisation took hold of the world, the CARICOM nations had lost its Western sycophancy and had invented its own narratives. Today the leaders of CARICOM are not the types that would go rushing to side with the West in whatever the West wants it to do. Barbados and St. Vincent have now taken on the lead role of safeguarding an independent CARICOM.

This has been a long digression from the title of this column. It concerns an editorial on Republic Day in the Stabroek News titled, “Global chaos: Ukraine and Venezuela.” It is inconceivable given the historical roots of Caribbean society that a newspaper in the region would examine global conflicts and omit Gaza in its headline.

Something is wrong with this newspaper and if the society refuses to confront this atavistic reversion to the ugly days when the European empires wrote the script for colonial people, then it speaks more to what our minds have become rather than that of the newspaper’s.

The editorial is mainly about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Guyanese must note that this newspaper interviewed the Ambassador of Israel to Guyana about Gaza and the questions were an embarrassment to journalism. The newspaper is still to interview an ambassador to Guyana from the Arab world or an Arab scholar.

There can be no comparison between the violence in Ukraine and Gaza. Ukraine is alive and well with people enjoying the good life in the capital. The President of Ukraine receives foreign leaders all the time and he leaves Ukraine and visits foreign lands all the time.

Russia has not destroyed Ukraine and is severely restricted in its action because of military aid to Ukraine by most Western countries. The Ukraine armed forces are in battle with the Russians
There is no war in Gaza. There is no army fighting the Israelis in Gaza. In Gaza, the Israeli Air Force has bombed the place to rubble killing over 30,000 Palestinians including over 20,000 women and children.

It is only an ugly mind that would write about global conflicts and not highlight Gaza. This is the epistemology of the West that the post-colonial world has left behind.

It needs mentioning that a majority of Third World countries have shown absolutely no interest in what was taking place in Ukraine when the war first started and since Gaza, the Global South sees Gaza as the major tragedy in the world today and not Ukraine. We will end on an epistemological note. In the West, citizens are not permitted to say: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” We in the Third World shout it from the rooftop.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.