Entrepreneurship by Claudius Prince

Dear Editor,
I wish to commend Claudius Prince on his article titled “Ways to achieve the entrepreneurial spirit” published on Sunday, December 4, 2016, in the Kaieteur Newspaper. I have always had great respect for Claudius Prince dating back to his days as an official in the Guyana National Service (GNS).
At that point, I served as a “trainee instructor”, I was taught to work with cattle, clean fish without using instruments, the art of cotton production, how to plant watermelons, beans, vegetables etc.
Further, I worked in the poultry farm and while I found this disgusting (coming from a family that liked to be clean skinned), it taught me to work hard and to respect all the backgrounds of people.
Claudius Prince was always very professional. In his letter, he does not attack or target people of any ethnic background but he simply showed the process that Indo-Guyanese went through which is responsible for their successes in business as he sees it. I would recommend his article for reading since it is very instructive and incisive.
However, I do not think that there was a conspiracy to undermine Afro-Guyanese in business. I believe that our former colonial masters knew that they would eventually depart from our shores and they were preparing the liberated Africans to take up leadership in the civil service, administrative regions and town councils.
At that time, the civil service looked very appealing since they were well paid and very importantly, well dressed.
While this modification took place, many Indo-Guyanese (and Afro-Guyanese) remained in the rice-fields and large scale planting of ground provisions was done in part by the Africans.
At this point, Indo-Guyanese had become very envious due to the fact that the Africans became lawyers, doctors, nurses, customs officers, administrators, mid-wives and engineers. I do not think that the aim was to marginalise them from business but to prepare them for administration subsequent to the complete departure of the British crown.
As a young man growing up, Indo-Guyanese were not encouraged to work in such particular professional fields. Our colonial masters at this time had recognised the importance of keeping a strong labour force in the production of food.

Persons like former Minister, Mrs Yvonne Yearwood Benn, Mr Boston, Mr Peters, Mr Ross, Mrs Ross, Ms Tyndell and my kindergarten teacher, Miss Tom (an influential figure who helped with the development of my personality and character as they all did in their own way), were masters of education. I will forever be grateful to all of them as they guided my accent, style of dress, style of speech and intellect. Without a doubt, together they touched the lives of thousands of people. These professors were professional, endearing and passionate. Those were all fruits that the colonial masters saw. They would even give extra lessons and Saturdays and Sundays free of cost.
I do not believe that any group is superior to another whether in farming, business or public service. I wish to agree with the view of Brother Claudius Prince that due to the fact that Indo-Guyanese were left on the lands, they were forced to face hard times as he rightfully highlighted.
Because of the clean dressed idea, I had never thought about farming or business, but instead I wanted to be like those in the civil service with a tie wrapped around my neck.
From this, I developed an appetite to become a security officer, specialist and Police technologist which I ended up achieving. Although this happened, I had a pension for the rice field. Mr Prince is hitting an important point, referring to the difficulties that we went through in early business. I do believe that the experience in the rice field, growing chicken and cleaning the fowl pens gave me stamina to be resilient.
I will encourage the Government of the day to establish the National Service in small fronts in the city and out of the city where youths and adult volunteers can travel, discover, learn and engage each other even in the remote parts of the interior which can facilitate motivational seminars which can encourage parents to send their children to learn skills.
I am proud that there are so many Guyanese in this country who do not see things with an ethnic eye but with an eye of love, unity and harmony; an eye for the development of all people. Once again, thank you Claudius Prince for reminding us. I am happy to have been trained under you.

Yours sincerely,
Roshan Khan

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