Dear Editor (SN),
 
I've read Mr. Ravi Dev's letter captioned "President Jagdeo is in Wonderland" and cannot "not" support it. It affirms the need for President Jagdeo to meet with leaders of the Indian communities immediately. This is not to allude that I support ROAR's entire agenda with maximum conviction, but rather, I assume confidence in ROAR's rightful criticism of the PPP/C government and its relation to its constituents.

Surely, I have read critical views of Mr. Dev. Well, I am an Indian and currently, I will support anyone who addresses my most critical concern-the long-term safety of my welfare. This is not social hobnobbing but sheer natural instinct. Right now, all else is trivial. Nothing else can or should be more important. If the Indian does not have a sense of safety within the realms of his psychological and physical states of existence, then life in Guyana will be futile.

Consequently, ROAR has assumed more socio-political value to my existence than any other organization. The Indian psychology is being forced to reinvent itself. This is good. The day has arrived for Indians to examine themselves critically, particularly those methods used for thinking and behaving in regards to our future. Whatever we have failed to improve upon in the last 37 years must be corrected now, not next year, or after the next elections. We have been deceived on numerous occasions, so if we don't want to be deceived again, this is the time to act. Yes, some would rather have us wait-they say this question is too polemic; well, isn't the Indian safety worth polemics? Others dread this issue of security because they realize that once it is fixed, the socio-political landscape of Guyana will be altered forever-because Indians will not get caught empty handed again. I am young and because I am young I am extremely concerned about my welfare.

I dread being transformed into another Indian crime-statistical figure, simply because I was found without the means to defend my welfare. I also dread having to exercise a lifetime of faith (like my parents) in any organization, only to discover over the next ten years that I still conduct my life in a state of apprehension. I am weary of having my every action being determined by this type of subdued life-can't wear gold chain, can't take out my wallet in public, can't sleep with my window open on a hot night...

Make no mistake-the PPP/C government is not Guyana and Guyana is not the PPP/C. The PPP/C will not be doing its constituents a favor by doing what is being asked. It is through these constituents that its mandate is made authentic. If a constituent is afraid to question the very government he/she puts into power, then his/her voting was just a waste of time. Some of us have become too entrenched in our obedience to political organizations in Guyana, so much that we think it's wrong to place demands on them. This is why I support Mr. Dev-because he is striving for the most fundamental truth of my (or the Indian) situation. His agenda may consist of flaws like any other, but he is still important because unlike other Indian leaders, he alone is presenting my long-term security concerns to the PPP/C in an assertive and mature manner.

Perhaps his questions will be answered, but I am prepared to do my part, and this is to support the call for the PPP/C government to address the question of long-term security for all Indians. I only hope that Indians nationwide will have the courage to do the same-before it's too late.