Perhaps the track record of the Indian PPP prompts Indians to abandon their indianess out of shame. Who would want to be associated with a bunch of thieves and crooks?

How does celebrating your arrival equate to celebrating you being an Indian (or of being of Indian heritage)?

I could understand AMerindian Heritage or Black history month...but arrival day does not cut it in terms of celebrating your heritage

Maybe People of Indian Heritage Day, or week or month....but arrival day??

Black people(slaves) got emancipation day. Why not Indian arrival day?

Bai, the incompetent PPP people misnamed the day. It used to be called Indian Immigration Day but when the PPP decided to make it a national holiday the Culture Ministry chose Arrival Day. I'm for another renaming --- to Indian Heritage Day. Problem is: who will listen to a Dirty Indian like Gilbakka?

so much NONSENSE, i really don't know where to start

the most respected, established, well funded ethnic organizations in Guyana are Indian!

outside of ACDA (established by Eric Philips very recently) operating on a shoestring, African ethnic organizations are ad hoc and mostly irrelevant

African Heritage Month, like Kwaanza are American inventions with little penetration in Afro-Guyanese culture

risible, this fake angst of the "great" Ryhaan Shah and the hustlin Shaitaan over 'besieged, cowering' Indos . . .

i suppose, in their nasty, scampish, power-to-abee-only world, Phaghah, Diwali and the rich Indian culture fertilizing Guyana the past century and a half is a mirage

Is that why you became a DOG??????

How so?

Obviously you have problems with self identity and that allows you to believe others may also have.

Obviously? From what?

Your statements lack any rationale. Can you explain some more?

What analysis did you perform to arrive at this asinine conclusion? It is because I know exactly who I am that I do not need any fanfare for it. Where did you see me speak out against the celebration? I don't know it's worthwhile trying to explain anything to you since you've proven beyond any doubt the limit of your ability to comprehend.

Well ... here goes.

The man who has to run around shouting to the world he is Indian is far less secure in his identity than the man who does not.

And who exactly running around shouting to the World he is Indian??????????????

Yugi

So that give him the right to paint6 everyone with the same brush. Ray, At Election time I dont have patience with these IDIOTS.

I leave you in the hands of anta

Have u ever witnessed the mysteries of the cemetery? Skulls without flesh on them, fearful and ugly, the sockets empty. In the end, that u will be. Each one of us. In the heap of bones, who can tell an East Indian from an Amerind or an African.

Where, in all the buried bones, are the things that make you the East Indian so proud?    

I will ALWAYS be PROUD.  You do your thing!!!

If I recall correctly this who is who isn't Indian argument is being driven by the Coalition idiots trying to tell Indian people that they ain't Indian.

I'm sure that abbe canecutters in Guyana wanna be told that them nah Indian nah moh thanks to one election campaign.

Them tings yuh adumbrate deh chap in favor of Indian people and the propagation of their culture are facts that exist inspite of nuff people trying to exterminate it and us.

Indians are constantly being subjected to a barrage of criticism for simply being Indian. We constantly have to deal with the Freddie Kissoons of the world and the PNC attacking our very identity and right to be who we are.

This drive to develop a "national culture" in Guyana in aimed at the destruction of the culture of the plural majority Indian culture.

Guyana already has a national culture. It is the culture of the people who live there. Whatever that may be at a given point in time.

It is not doing my thing-your prejudices puts other peoples lives in danger. And your Pride is to subjugate the Black race.

 

I would never negate my Indian self. It is my DNA. It is my history, my legacy, my traditions, my culture. It is my spiritual home. If I ever denied any of it, that would be the real dishonour. And if anyone asked that of me they would be trampling on my guaranteed human, spiritual and constitutional rights.
Ryhaan Shah

Who asked this woman to deny anything? That is her own imagination. All of this bullcrap is because these folks want to define for Moses how he establish his primary allegiance.

This began with his defection from the PPP. Then he was called a traitor as though the PPP determines who are patriots or not. Then Batoram, takes off on this idea because he said he was Guyanese and not Indian it means he did the worse thing ever.

He is Guyanese. That anyone care about him is not because he is Indian but because he represents for a significant number of people in out plural society what is best for our state. Being Indian is great for self concept but being Guyanese is best for all of us.

Why are you trying to explain COMPLEX things to IDIOTS????

You didn't read the forum, did you? You just browse to the site, pick a topic, click reply and start typing?

The man never "adumbrate" shit. He said you are on this binge of massaging indian sacred victimization because it serves a purpose at this time. No one gives a dam if you call yourself Hindu, christian Muslim or what ever. Those are all "identities" the Indian has for himself among the one he manufactured out of the detritus of his 20 or so tribal heritages to reconstitute his "Indianness", This is the Playbook of the Hindutva crowd; the same ones that has india in an internal shit puddle of caste and religious violence.

Shaits, I do not think that there is any East Indian Guyanese - at home or in the Disapora - who feels uncomforatble in his skin as an Indian. This is a phantom ingredient in this election. There is no need to debate one's Indian-ness and never has been.

the only reason i can find for a person that want the world to know he is a indian or any other race is because he might be insecure in himself 

you proud of the color of your skin, why should anybody feel pride in their skin.a man with self confidence does not care what color their skin is but what valve their life have 

HEHEHEHEHEHEHE

So this racist says that she can define herself as a "Guyanese" but choses not to do so.  She then justifies her refusal to identify as a Guyanese by manufacturing a lie that Africans celebrate their "Africanness" ahead of being Guyanese.

1.  Africans do not even agree as to how they shoulod be called.  Most say "black", some "Afro Guyanese", some "negro",\.  Some say "African", these latter usually in reaction to the fact that Indians claim an "Indian" identity, and are almost always intellectuals. 

Many, probably most, have no interest in Africa, and certainly do not link their identity to any specific region or ethnic group in Africa, nor are they avid consumers of African products.

2.  Africans cannot even agree on who is African/black/negro/Afro.  Trotman says he is mixed.  Granger says that he is black, but would consider his kids to be mixed, and he is proud of the multi ethnic nature of his extended family.  So who is mixed and who is African/negro/black/Afro?

3.  Africans also do not claim a unique cultural identity that they use as a club to enforce the tribe.  And in fact racists like Ryshaan are usually quick to claim that Afro Guyanese have no culture.  So why the pretense that suddenly we fiercely practise this African based culture?

4.  Indians have an identity based on culture ansd race and tied very much to a connection to India.  Those Indians who adapt a more fluid identity are severely punished by people like Ryhaan.

5. Africans have a creole culture which derived from the encounter in the Caribbean between European colonizers and the African slaves.  It exists on a continuum and is open architecture, absorbing and adapting other cultures as they pass by.  It is for this reason that in multi cultural societies like Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, and Belize the creole space is that is what the various ethnicities use to connect with each other through.  As a result the creole culture becomes a huge threat to tracist like Ryhaan who fear that many Indians will be transformed by it, as this, and not Indo Caribbean culture, is how they engage with others.

If Ryhaan Shah thinks that she isnt Guyanese, and choses to define her entirety purely by her ancient connections to her ancestrl land, taht is fine, but then she forfeits any rights to engage with Guyana as a Guyanese.  She can stay in her ethnic bubble.

Guyana is multi ethnic with no dominant group.  Unless each ethnicity can feel part of a whole, can feel that they will be treated fairly, and can feel that their ethnicity will not be a barrer against their access to opportunity that it cannot function as a nation.  Those who do not agree with this need to find some where else to live.

I agree i think its sorta lame. I am sure we can come up with some better phrase or something to celebrate our heritage.

Especially when the ARRIVAl includes EVERY ONE other than those whose ancestors arrived as slaves or were people indigenous to Guyana.

BTW not all blacks in Guyana descend from people whose ancestors were transported to Guyana as slaves.

So ARRIVAL Day includes black people TOO!

And what of the blacks whose arrived from Africa after slavery ended in Guyana? In the 1840s a high % of the blacks in Guyana were not born in Guyana, nor directly tied to people whose ancestors arrived in Guyana as slaves?

What of the Portuguese, and Chinese?  And soon we will be talking about Brazilian Guyanese!

We do not even have to go that far.  Now that many young Indo males cut their hair low abd dress in the same fashion as do Afro males, have the same taste in music and mannerism, and with the growing dougla population, one cannot always tell an Indo from an Afro.

In fact does Elisabeth Harper look Indian or African in recent pictures since she decided to run for PM?

No we are hostile to

1.  Indians screaming that they are innocnt and "black man baad".

2.  That racism in Guyana be defined 100% in terms o PNC (AFrican) with the pretense that PPP (Indian) racism doesnt exist.

3.  We wonder about people who seem more interested in their connection to India than to Guyana.  Given that 60% of Guyanese DO NOT IDENTIFY with Guyana, it is a legitimate concern when some one who presents him/her self as a NATIONAL leader then seem to elevate their ethnic identify above their national.  Ryaan is an ethnic leader, so I do not care teh slightest what she says. When Jagdeo screams similarly then I as a non Indian have a legitimate reason to be concern.

4.  Despite what you think, your right to be an Indian does not extend to denying me my rights to be a Guyanese, to participate in governing Guyana, and to participate in deriving opportunity from what Guyana has to offer.  When Indians are criticized its because of the fact that they confuse their ethnic identity with a national identity, and then use this ethnic identity to subjugate others.  When caught they then scream, as you do, that they are being denied the right to be Indian.

The President and the Prime Minister are supposed to lead ALL GUYANESE, not just Indians.  They are supposed to listen to ALL Guyanese, not just Indians.  And they are spposed to ensure that EQUAL ACCESS to opportunity is available to ALL GUYANESE and not just Indians.  If you do not like that, then go park yourself in some hut and build shrines to your Mother India.  You are not Guyanese.

Bingo!!

In the 70's, East Indians picked up a very bad habit. Babla and Kanchan were popular-it was the beginning of a unique Indian culture. Drinking drunk and dancing in all public spaces were acceptable by fellow Indians. When I saw it first, I concluded it was from remorse of PNC rule.

Later, I would read. Back in 1838 Calcutta, singers and dancers encouraged their patrons to be drunk. Suh, all indentured witnessed that sport before boarding for Demerara.

And the rum-shop business blossomed. Even the politicians were known drunks. Kellawan Lall, the other guy I would have mentioned is now hoping to be prominent.

When the PPP win, Indians would choose to celebrate with more drunkenness. After 23 years of buzzing, now them beat up them wives, rape their women, incest and suicides are common in the sacred Indian community.

Yesu and DIH makes a bundle of money from the holy almighty East Indians.

And the East Indian woman. She can't wait for a lil sport. And the PPP gives them that with them gatherings and getting together.

It is GREAT TO BE INDIAN-a dying breed. Rum til I die.

Yuh all hurry up.

The useless.   

Ryhaan will blame black people for that.  She will claim that rape of Indo females became acceptable under the PNC and so now Indo men engage in the same behavior.

I suggest that you observe young educated affluent women from India. They do not stay home waiting to clap roti for their husbands and offer their bodies to satiate his needs.  Loads of Desi parties in NYC and it isnt just males going there.