Jun 27, 2026 Features / Columnists, The GHK Lall Column

(Kaieteur News) – It’s at times like these that the frailty of humanity registers poignantly. The monuments of man’s advance, the towers of his achievements crash down. A devastating earthquake in Venezuela, two in fact. Right next door. Just beyond the fence. A picket mark that partitions Venezuelans from Guyanese. Despite the sharp differences, the hard disagreements, there must still be something inside to empathize with our fellow human beings in Venezuela. I so do. But for the mystery of geology, there could Guyana be. I humbly exhort Pres Ali to share a word of sympathy on behalf of the Guyanese people to his counterpart, President Rodrigues, in this time of her people’s loss and suffering. May PPP General Secretary, Dr. Jagdeo, do the same for the ruling party. I think that both men can find it in themselves to offer heartfelt words, and any hand that Guyana can extend.

Whether thousands are dead, or that harrowing four-digit mark is not breached, the toll of destruction ranges far and deep. Lives lost. Homes gone. Families disappeared. Livelihood snatched. In an instant. Leads me to wonder often what all the reciprocal arguing and assaulting are all about. What’s the point of it all? An earthquake, a hurricane, a volcano, or a tsunami can change everything in a hurry. Shocking devastation that tosses humankind off their feet, swat away men and mice. Set back hopes of progress, dreams of rising, by years, maybe even decades.