Dear Editor,
Steve Merai was cleared of all wrongdoing after an extensive police investigation. The businessman who accused him of kidnapping (Steve took them into custody on certain suspicions) has withdrawn his charges and the drug dealer who supposedly taped him has made a statement to the police. CID investigated every aspect of my brother’s finances. It was ugly and painful for him. If he was taking money from a drug dealer he would be a rich man. But Steve, like most police officers, survives on an inadequate basic salary. I have personally sent money numerous times to Guyana for him and my other brothers. Very few Guyanese can walk in the shoes of Steve Merai. I couldn’t do it myself. That man took head on the most ruthless and dangerous criminals. I know of a time when his unit busted into a drug house and rescued a young schoolgirl about to be sexually molested, all because the mother saw him in the street and begged him for help. He was the TSS leader and could have easily commanded remotely, but he was always in the forefront. He was brutally ambushed and shot in one such operation. In a separate incident ‘Gangsta,’ one of his men was shot in the chest and survived. These were the true warriors of Guyana. They held crime in check. If Steve and the TSS unit were around you wouldn’t have had the Rose Hall bank robbery, the Agricola rampage, and guys like ‘Fineman’ would not have lasted a week. There is no man alive in Guyana that can say they bribed Steve Merai. In the Black Clothes days you couldn’t shoot a policeman and get away with it. At one time he migrated to Canada but quickly returned against the wishes of our family. Steve said he must return because criminals were having a good time after he left. However, Mr Felix disbanded the unit upon his return. If you can live the life of Steve Merai you will find out a great deal about an extremely brave and dedicated crime fighter. If the government allowed him to reform the Black Clothes Unit I am sure he would be right back at the forefront. But I hope they don’t because Steve has done enough for Guyana. When Steve was risking his life and those of his men in crime-fighting everyone was relieved to have him around, but people don’t usually judge a man for his good deeds.
Yours faithfully,
Peter Merai
Comment extracted from Stabroek News website