A public response by US resident Ambassador to Guyana, her Excellency Sarah-Ann Lynch on the US Embassy’s Facebook page decrying the murder of Mr George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer was drawn to my attention.
Having called on the Ambassador to speak out in my letter published in both the Stabroek News and Guyana Chronicle under the captions, “Massive protests are questioning very basis of American democracy” and “The killing of George Floyd” respectively (3 June 2020 editions) it is only proper that I acknowledge Ambassador Lynch’s statement on her own behalf and the “Embassy Georgetown family” in condemning this racial killing in her country,
This is the full text of the remarks sent to me: “I am, like the entire U.S. Embassy Georgetown family, profoundly troubled by the horrific events in the United States.
What is a misnomer as “democracy” in Guyana was achieved by centuries of African struggle to end slavery and in doing so guaranteed that no other groups of humans be enslaved in Guyana.
It is my humble submission to Ambassador Lynch and her country’s government that the greatest tribute to Mr George Floyd, the African American community and humanity, in general, is for the USA to use its enormous powers to help Guyanese resolve their historical challenges derived from slavery.
Ambassador Sarah–Ann Lynch’s statement on the George Floyd killing opens the way for a reset for American diplomatic engagement in Guyana.