Dear Editor,
December 10 has been designated as International Human Rights Day. This year the world would be observing this date when we are in very grave danger and the Palestinian people are experiencing genocide at the hands of the Apartheid Israeli Regime.
More than forty-five thousand persons, seventy percent of whom are women and children, including little babies have been killed. Thousands of others are missing, presumed buried under thousands of tons of rubble and yet the carnage is allowed to continue.
These inhumane executions of innocent civilians have been taking place for fourteen months already. The world seems incapable of putting a halt to this. The main reason is that Israel is being protected by the most powerful country in the world, the United States of America.
It is undoubtedly a great shame that instead of using its enormous power to protect the almost defenceless Palestinians, who have been denied the right to their own homeland, the U.S.A has chosen instead to fully support Israel by supplying arms and bombs as well as diplomatic/ political support at the United Nations and other forums.
While the situation of the Palestinians is the most dire, it is not the only area where the very right to life is in great danger.
One of the most important reasons for the heavy loss of life in the Russia/ Ukraine conflict is the fact that Russia’s security, has been threatened by the expansion of the North Atlantic Treay Organisation (NATO) which is surrounding Russia with military bases and encouraging Ukraine to be a part of the organisation instead of being neutral.
The situation in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries (Syria) is indeed of grave concern. So too is the civil war in the Sudan, which is causing massive destruction, misery and an unacceptable loss of lives.
The world has never been so close to a world war since 1939. Such a war today can only lead to nuclear clashes. If that should ever happen then life in the world would cease to exist.
On this occasion I call on all Guyanese and on people everywhere to let your voices be hear and call for an immediate halt to military clashes and the banning of all weapons of mass destruction, in particular, nuclear weapons.
Let us on this occasion take an active stance to protect life, the Greatest Gift of All!
Sincerely,
Donald Ramotar
Former President of Guyana
