This week we asked the man/woman on the street what they thought about the conviction in a Brooklyn court of Robert Simels, former attorney of Roger Khan and whether they thought an investigation, given the revelations during the trial, should be conducted locally.
By Sara Bharrat with photos by Jules Gibson
Shurlon Munroe, Security Personnel:
‘With respect to the law, if offences of such magnitude are committed then the consequences must be faced. Tampering with witnesses and threatening their lives and well-being is a serious offence and I am in support of the opinion that Simels should get life imprisonment for the 12 charges. Most definitely with all of that information that came out of the Simels trial we should launch a local investigation down here. In fact it is in the national interest that the investigation should be conducted. If as it was stated in the court the Government is involved then this is an extremely serious matter and I am not sure if a local investigation will do the trick. Local authorities should not have to be prompted to conduct such an investigation. I am hoping that international bodies like Caricom (Caribbean Community) and the UN can intervene. This matter is very serious and it is time that local authorities take it seriously.’
Fred Paris, Retired Teacher: 
‘I think the name of our country should be cleared in the height of the revelations emanating from the Simel/Roger Khan trial. I am not sure that a local investigation by local people will work. Three, four or even five decades ago Simels wouldn’t have been able to come in our country and move about freely committing the crimes he did. I started my life while Guyana was under the British rule and back then the police did their duty in the interest of the people. There are certain things that happened under the British rule like the slaying of the Enmore Martyrs that were thoroughly investigated. Police at that time protected the rights of the sugar baron and any apparent disregard for the rule of the law was thoroughly investigated. A thorough investigation was conducted into the deaths of the Enmore Martyrs and it was discovered that one policeman exceeded what he should have done. These days investigations are not being conducted and many citizens don’t feel secure because nothing is being done about the things that matter. I can’t remember the last time an inquiry was conducted and it’s things like these that cause many Guyanese to worry about their safety. If Guyana wants to save what is left of its good name then it needs to clear the air immediately.’
Rudolph Smartt, Private Sector Employee:
‘I have not been following the Simels and Roger Khan trials because I am too busy. I would hear about it from time to time on the news but I am generally not interested in the whole thing because I have to work to do. Since evidence has shown that Simels is guilty then he should be put in jail for a very long time.’
Roy Barker, Pensioner:
‘Let me tell you the whole story, if we had a Commissioner of 
Police who is not politically motivated then a local investigation would have already been conducted. The entire police force needs to be reshuffled. Simels is only a small fish and I believe that he is being used to get information about the whole fiasco going on here in Guyana. I don’t believe that Simels will spend much time in jail. Soon he’ll be walking free and will be walking in our very streets and no one will realize it. This shouldn’t be how we look after our citizens; more effort should be taken to guard the interests of Guyanese. We may all like the president but that doesn’t mean the president likes us. We need to have a better security system here in Guyana because right now there is only chaos in the system.’
Hermione Paddy, Teacher:
‘They should most definitely conduct an investigation locally. I know that Simels is a fountain of information and if he should co-operate then there will be many more shocking revelations. There are so many things going on and the government is not doing anything. There have been questions about whether this matter will taint Guyana’s image to such a point that Guyanese, especially the young ones, will be victimized but I think that our young people are confident and will not be affected by the situation.’
Carol Persaud-Douglas,
Overseas-based Guyanese: 
‘Even though I don’t live here anymore I followed the Simels/ Khan trial closely because it is an issue of national concern. I am Guyanese and I care about the future of my country. A local investigation should definitely be done. I know that Simels had a lot of information stored up that he can pass on if the right tactics are applied. If I were the judge in the Simels matter then I would hand him a harsh punishment and sentence him to life imprisonment because he is a man of the law and is aware of the constitution. I don’t believe that Simels has or ever has had any respect for Guyanese and the fact that he was able to come here and do such things shows that our police force is totally weak. I think that maybe the Guyana Police Force wants to carry out an investigation but they can’t because there are those higher up in the organizational structure that will not allow them to do it.’
Stephen Thompson,
Businessman:
‘Yes, we should conduct an investigation locally. As long as charges were brought against Mr. Khan’s attorney, Simels, it shows that he was trying to cover up something to protect Mr. Khan. The question, in my opinion, is how serious the law enforcement people take this matter and the issue of conducting an investigation. I am not sure how seriously it will be taken and I don’t wish to elaborate on Simel’s conviction. The whole linkage locally between the proceedings in New York and a number of persons here is very disturbing and those persons are not being touched. I hope that the government realizes that it is not too late to take this matter up and have a serious investigation done. We as Guyanese people deserve good quality service at every level of our country including the government. Justice should be dealt with locally and we shouldn’t wait for some American agency or their Federal Bureau of Investigation to come here and hunt these people down.’
Michelle George, Housewife: 
‘Some sort of an investigation should definitely be done locally because for Simels to enter Guyana it means that Immigration knew he was here, the government knew he was here and many people knew exactly what he was doing here. I am not confident that an investigation will be done locally because there is too much implication in it for the government.’
Allison Garnett, Self-employed:
‘Naturally an investigation should be done locally and I am confident that the matter will be investigated here. They will be forced to investigate the matter because they will have to clear up Guyana’s name and the Government’s as well. (Health Minister Dr Leslie) Ramsammy has been implicated and there will be more persons who will be.’
Tanuja Farley, Houswife:
‘A local investigation is important for us to clear our government. This entire Simels/Roger Khan thing has tainted our country’s image and to tell you the truth I am afraid that Guyanese will be victimized when they travel because of this whole thing that is going on. In terms of Simels’ actual conviction there’s nothing I’d like to say.’
