A lesson for all, especially the PNC/R leaders to learn from Gladstone Henry’s humility

GLADSTONE Henry, father of the late Isaiah Henry, who was murdered in a gruesome manner with his cousin Joel, stood like the Gibraltar Rock and accepted his loss like a real man, in the true spirit of altruistic brotherhood and as a magnanimous Guyanese. He wept but did not wimp like the cowards who, a while ago, weaseled their way into the Henry’s home and wrenched their wretched garbage to weaponise the crowd, disappearing in the still of the night, leaving behind, the worked-up women and men to wreak havoc with their own neighbors. He imploringly appealed to the rest of the nation and called for a cessation of the violent acts that have unraveled a racial biasness because of the devious agenda from the visiting PNC politicians.

The sincerity of Mr. Henry overflowed when he declared, “I am not a racist. I still love my Indian brothers and sisters. I am not supporting unmoral protesting because I went out in Number Five Village and I told them straight: ‘if you want to protest is our right, let we do it peacefully.’” What a lesson for all, especially the leaders of the PNC/R to learn! Had they adopted Mr. Henry’s humble attitude and honestly broached the matter in the same natural vein, this blazing inferno may have been completely avoided and all the horrible damage might not have occurred. The men in disguise planted the diseased seed of conflict, not peace.

As a true Guyanese, the mourning father blurted out, “I am not a racial person. I born in Number Three (Village). The community I live in, I live among Indian people. We eat together, we sleep together. The majority of my friends that I move with are Indian. We move like brothers, big men, older men than me and because of how I was moving with them they give me a nickname “Geera” and “Geera” is because it have to go in the dhal seeing that me is the only black one that living in there.” This is what “One People” means, coming from a similar background landscaped with a friendly and brotherly relationship, knitted and bonded with mutual respect, sharing a comradery that embraces love and caring for each other’s welfare. The likes of Granger and Harmon cannot speak such simple language explicitly because their roots are grounded in Burnham’s fascism that condones preferential, ethnic differences. Harmon’s seeing “eyeball to eyeball” meant, “an eye for an eye.”

A conscientious advocate for peace, Mr. Henry further painfully pointed out, “We the nation cannot be fighting against one another, because this is going on too long.” Hitting the nail on the head, he has unabashedly demonstrated with such simplicity what the acclaimed intelligent city technocrats failed to realise. As a humble, rural civilian, ha can mentor those anointed in their high seats with selfishness as foresight and falsity as hindsight. The PNC/R has always placed their troubled party, paramount to the nation and “politricks,” above people. The policies of the party have inculcated a culture that accommodates greed and vindictiveness as its base and purports to divide and rule as its instrument. No wonder their followers are misguided with their lies and brainwashed with their deceitful deceptions. As a result, this has chastised the mass for their misbehavior and castigated them for undue consequences. Granger and cabal are committed to breaking and not making.

The language of a tiring Gladstone Henry is neither flavoured nor favoured. He unapologetically admonished that, “Let we not see this thing as black, white, Chinese or putagee (Portuguese) because if blackman did do this or a Chinese man did do this or any man did do this and if is not my family, I believe that he will have to pay the penalty and not no other people who looked like him and get the texture of hair like him, but the person who committed the act should pay for the crime.” Mr. Henry is the gentleman who is involved in this disrupted fracas and has lost his son but yet, he is tempered and still wishes for justice but in a free and fair environment, not an atmosphere side tracked with prejudice and contaminated with convoluted corruptions.

He has a 20-20 vision and is not obscured with any enshrouded clarity. He is not disoriented with illusions nor can he be befuddled with thwarted perplexities. The police should be allowed to perform their duties unhindered by political interferences so that justice may prevail. The PNC/R Party finds it difficult to call a “spade a spade” and to allow the law to “run its course.”

It is most interesting to see how Granger has awakened from a slumber, availed himself conveniently, all of a sudden made his presence known in a scandalous manner, mudded his feet and mouth in dirty water and then departed again to hibernate. Walking with a knee strengthened with discrimination, he is kneeling on the voice of conscience. Harmon has spoken with the forked tongue and poisoned the twisted minds of the community. Volda Lawrence, perfecting a performance, has polluted the ambience with her self-interest, popularised a promotion, performed an act of pretense, declared power flexing and populated only her vanity. In a press statement issued by the Minister of Home Affairs, Robertson Benn, he was right on target with a bullseye stating, “This escalation in violence rest squarely at the doors of these two gentlemen and specific known political agitators of their ilk!

The emergence of these political vultures and associated criminal opportunists have led to a deteriorating spiral in safety and security in the areas! Granger and Harmon bear the prime responsibility for the escalation in violence, injuries and death.” This sentiment is echoed by many Guyanese and reverberated in every nook and cranny in Guyana. All lives matter and as we mourn the loss of all lives, let us contemplate on the words of Jane Elliot, “We learn to be racist, therefore we can learn not to be racist. Racism is not genetic. It has everything to do with power.”

Respectfully,
Jai Lall