Dear Editor,
Please allow me to pen these few lines in response to Minister Rohee’s letter published in SN on June 29 captioned: ‘If ever there are tensions in our society it is because of the political opposition fuelled by sections of the media and rarely the government.‘
In his letter the Minister has made some very worrying statements, and I wish to seek clarification about them. In the very first paragraph the Minister, in making reference to my ability to travel outside of Guyana stated: “Our constitution does not prevent anyone from leaving Guyana unless you are blacklisted, thus preventing you from doing so by the competent legal authorities here in Guyana. So Mr Hinds and Ms Nestor are in possession of their ‘get out of jail cards’ on these two counts.” I am compelled to ask the Minister what exactly does he mean by using the phrase ‘get out the jail’? Has the Home Affairs Minister relegated Guyana to the status of a mere jail and thinks that I am fortunate to be able to escape because I have the card to which he referred? It would be helpful if the Minister would explain to the Guyanese people what exactly he means.
In my June 25 letter I particularly criticised Minister Rohee for making the same kinds of inappropriate statements, when he alluded to some supposed “delicate period of national security“ in which Guyana currently found itself. Mr Rohee went on with his usual ramblings to claim that my writings are politically extreme. This is where I have the greatest concern because it is clear that the man in charge of the nation’s security cannot distinguish between two distinct things. If highlighting the ills of bad governance and calling on government officials to refuse to make statements capable of heightening fear and tension in Guyana are deemed extremist, I can understand why the charge of treason has become so popular in the land. It is clear that the Minister in his letter tried to divert attention from the real issue and seek refuge in that old PPP trick which is, when you can’t deal with the issue make a false emotional appeal and resort to character assassination. So the Minister after lamenting how I do not live in Guyana, went on to say that I pay no taxes and make no contribution to society, and therefore I have no right to speak on matters pertinent to the people of Guyana. He wrote: “There must be something morally wrong about this.” Mr Rohee seems to think that a person who is not resident in Guyana has no right to express a view on things relating to the country, particularly if they write to expose the shortcomings of the government. I wonder if it is also immoral for all the PPP/C letter writers who reside outside the country to comment on things relating to Guyana? Many persons might want to claim that this might be one of Mr Rohee’s ‘goat nah bite meh’ moments. Why call on Guyanese abroad to come home and invest when there appears to be intolerance for the views of these same people? Can Guyanese in the diaspora take these people seriously?
My information is that during the PNC era the PPP organized their supporters who reside outside of Guyana to write and lobby widely to garner support for their political assault against the PNC government. It appeared that it was the morally correct thing to do then, but now it is outlawed. Maybe the saying that dictators don’t tolerate dissenters is apt here. With regard to the contributions I’ve made and am continuing to make, I would only ask the good Minister to do some research, and would go on to ask him what he has done as Minister of Home Affairs to ensure that Guyanese have a safer society. Do we now have a comprehensive crime-fighting strategy? I would think that the continued absence of such a strategy will constitute the kind of ‘delicate period of national security’ he speaks of.
Mr Rohee, in providing an answer as to what constitutes his ‘delicate period of national security’ claimed that comments made by a number of persons, whom he identified, were responsible. The Minister also stated: “If ever there are tensions in our society it is because of the political opposition fuelled by sections of the media, and rarely the government.” In this line Mr Rohee, while blaming the media and the opposition for all the tensions in society did admit that there are instances where his government is responsible. I appreciate this confession, although I am not sure if it was knowingly offered or not. Mr Rohee stated that my writing is obstructing Guyanese from carrying on with their daily lives and lamented, “Left to themselves the working people of Guyana would carry on with their daily lives…” This clarifies the point I often make, that is that the government seems to have no regard for the plight of the working class and the intelligence of the masses; the Minister of Home Affairs is telling the world that Guyanese could not care less about teenagers killing each other senselessly, that domestic violence and murder happens with alarming frequency, that corruption thrives in government agencies, that a depressed community like Linden is forced to pay a hike in electricity, that the Minister of Finance’s wife has been appointed to account for the finances of the public entities which her husband manages, that VAT is still 16%, that the police force is not adequately equipped, that NICIL money is still not deposited in the Consolidated Fund, that a pure water supply for the entire country is yet to be realized, etc.
How can the Minister think that Guyanese are not interested in these things? I recall that during a period of heightened criminal activity Minister Rohee made the same kind of dismissive outburst to the effect that Guyanese could not care less about what is happening around them as they were looking forward to their barrels and remittances coming, from yes, overseas. On that occasion I had reason to call out Mr Rohee again for his unfortunate and insensitive comments, and now years later he’s still making these scathing and I dare say disrespectful comments. I am forced to conclude that this attitude pervades the thinking of the government, and this is sad!
Yours faithfully,
Lurlene Nestor
