by Stella Ramsaroop
Yet another family from Guyana was recently granted protective
asylum in Canada. It seems President Jagdeo could not protect this
family from his whimsical politicians, corrupt government officials or
nasty drug lords after the man was approached with an offer of a bribe
last June to use his position as a wharf manager to allow drug
shipments to pass through in rice shipments headed for the U.S.
This is how the situation was described in a Hardbeatnews.com
article from yesterday, “In his affidavit, the claimant said that
when he refused the bribe, he was verbally abused and threatened. Five
days later, he said he received a cell phone call telling him he knew
too much and would be eliminated.”
The article continued, “Subsequently, the Guyanese national
claimed he was forced to flee a group of apparent kidnappers and later
the windows at his home were shot out. He said police did nothing
despite several reports and alleged that the police and “senior
politicians” are being paid off by drug dealers in his homeland.”
I don’t mean to nit-pick, but this does not sound like the
business friendly atmosphere the President portrayed at GuyExpo just a
few days ago.
I do realise that this promise of protection extended to businesses
by the President may indeed be a new policy that would not have been
in effect in June. I also acknowledge the fact that Jagdeo did not
promise protection from the drug lords. On the other hand, surely this
is something that can and must be addressed.
I am sure President Jagdeo meant to include those nasty drug lords
when he said he would protect the businesses in Guyana. Likewise, I am
also quite sure he meant to include protection from the government
officials who work hand-in-hand with the drug dealers. Yep, I’m sure
he did.
The Hardbeat.com article said, “The [Immigration and Refugee
Board of Canada] ruled that the ‘claimant’ along with his wife and
five-year-old daughter is in need of protection by authorities [in
Canada] since Guyana police did not give him the protection he needed
from drug barons, whom he had refused to work with.”
It really makes me mad when I hear that upstanding citizens like
this family are chased out of Guyana by criminals because they were
not protected after taking a stand for doing the right thing. This man
made the difficult choice to make the right decisions for Guyana and
as a repayment of sorts, Guyana’s authorities turned their back on
him.
This situation makes me wonder what would have happened if this man
had just accepted the bribe of US$20,0000 per shipment of cocaine
allowed through the wharf.
Would the police then have protected him?
Would his family be safe?
Would he still have the life he built in Guyana instead of being
chased off to another country?
Late last year Stabroek News ran an article about 67 Guyanese who
were granted asylum in Canada during the years of 2005-06. The article
said, “According to Mamann and Associates Immigration lawyers, the
majority of Guyanese seeking refugee status in Canada, do so because
of the criminalisation of the Guyanese society and the fear that they
are victims of criminal gangs with political associations as well as
for a number of political reasons including assassination, reprisals,
victimisation and discrimination.”
Note the interesting trend of the reasoning for the Guyanese who
seek asylum in Canada. These people are not just running from the
overt criminal elements, but from the “criminal gangs with political
associations.”
There is no doubt the drug lords, murderers and thieves instil fear
into these good people, but it is those whimsical politicians and
shady government officials who really scare people. Criminals can be
expected to behave in an unlawful manner, but we expect more from the
leaders of a nation and it is a terrifying thing when they behave just
like the criminals.
What a joke that the world is informed of a family that needed
protective asylum from Guyana at almost the same time the President is
promising protection. Obviously the President needs to try a lot (lot,
lot, lot, lot) harder if he expects any business to take his promises
seriously.
Email: StellaSays[at]gmail.com
Wednesday, October 10, 2007