Dear Editor,
I write this letter to deal with the nonsense being peddled by the PPP regime and its propagandist Vishnu Bisram as regards the crash landing of the Caribbean Airlines (CAL) plane at Timehri. The PPP’s Dr Roger Luncheon said that efforts must be intensified to remove squatters from around the airport, while Mr Bisram wrote that he was embarrassed by the taxi drivers who charged the CAL passengers US$20. The PPP, as usual, is trying to divert attention from the real issues.
Dr Luncheon’s remarks imply that the regime was hampered in its development of the airport because of squatters, whilst Mr Bisram wants us to focus on the taxi drivers. In dealing with the PPP propaganda I will use my personal knowledge and experience of the Timehri area. Prior to 1992 when the PPP came to power there was a road around the airport. The eastern section of the road was paved and very easy for any vehicle to drive on. The western part was not paved but I drove around it in a car a few times in the 1980s. In those days there were restrictions on heavy vehicles using the road.
After 1992 sand and lumber trucks were allowed to freely traverse the road. The result was its total destruction. The western section is now practically impassable. Deep ruts and erosion have replaced the road. I was there in January 2011 and the 4×4 vehicle, with an experienced bush driver, almost got bogged down in the sand. On the eastern section the pavement has long been destroyed and washed away leaving 3 ft deep craters. Over the years vehicles were forced to make a path through the sand close to the airport perimeter.
The road from the fire service around the prison to the crash site has huge bumps and craters which are flooded during rain. It was under these conditions that the taxi drivers risked their vehicles to rescue passengers and they must be commended for their efforts. That the taxis, at night, made it through to the plane is in itself a miracle.
Some, including Mr Bisram, have rushed to condemn the taxi drivers who charged a fee for their services, but I understand the plight of the poor taxi driver. Who would have paid for the gas? Who would have paid for repairs had their cars got damaged? Most of the drivers are poor folks hustling an honest living to feed their families. On many days the taxi driver suffers losses when he expends fuel to go to the airport but does not get work. So I commend the taxi drivers regardless of the fee they charged. It was the government emergency team that should have got there first and done the rescue operation, not the taxi drivers.
Dr Luncheon must not try to blame the squatters. It was his regime that allowed poor people to build and live in bare shacks. I am pretty sure that if a PPP crony wanted the land the squatters would have been promptly removed just as the Stabroek vendors were bulldozed. Mr Bisram is embarrassed by the taxi drivers but he was not moved by the daily scandals that characterize the PPP government.
The Jagdeo/PPP cabal can improperly award multi-million US dollar contracts to certain companies but legitimate taxi drivers who performed a real service should not charge US$20 to pay for their gas, oil, tyres, and maintenance, according to Mr Bisram.
Yours faithfully,
Malcolm Harripaul
