The statues are not for reverence

THE EDITOR: In his Newsday column of last Sunday, Reginald Dumas talks about the colonial word “discovery.” Immediately I saw the chip on his shoulder and those like him.

Further, how could the days of Columbus be compared with those of Adolf Hitler?

One must also remember that people in these far-off islands when Columbus arrived were savages. It was kill or be killed. But killing on either side was not right for any reason.

A statue is not placed for reverence but for history, be it bad or good. And yes, there should be a statue of Hitler as a reminder to the people of Germany what he looked like. Those who look at it must know what he did and that it must never happen again.

Moving a body from hallowed ground does not change history. It's easy to criticise but Dumas should walk in the dead man's shoes first.

The statues are exactly what they are: reminders of days gone, good and bad, which brought us to these days and we can do nothing about it today.

Leave the statues.

GARY DE FREITAS

via e-mail