Dear Editor,
“There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries, on such a full sea we are now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures” (Brutus). In light of the unfolding events in the Roger Khan Saga, this is an opportune moment for a combined opposition to demonstrate bold and effective leadership. The nation’s moral conscience demands it, and the people expect it. Leaders of a combined opposition should be directly engaged in establishing the veracity to these allegations. Failure to seize this moment will result in a lost opportunity that may never be regained.
Mr Corbin in his official capacity as leader of the opposition, along with other members of parliament should submit a formal request for copies of the “purchase order” or any similar document which would indicate who authorized the purchase, as well as the shipping document indicating to whom the equipment was shipped. Any purchase of this nature must have an audit trail. Since this is a fairly routine transaction for this kind of company, the audit trail should be simple and straightforward. Once the audit trail is established and/or the information requested is received, it should be published in local dailies including copies of all signatures involved in this transaction. This would do one of two things. It will either exonerate the government, or it will corroborate the claims being made by the various witnesses. Either way it should put an immediate end to all speculations, allegations, and denials. In the event that the request for information and documentation is not granted, then you should publish the response from the respective companies. Failure to take this kind of direct approach will continue to find the country in a vicious cycle of allegations and denials which will soon wear off and the nation will return to business as usual. If this happens, the opposition leaders would have squandered the legitimate aspirations of the Guyanese people, and any goodwill arising out of this situation would have been wasted. The people are watching.
Yours faithfully,
John F. Haynes
