Former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee on Thursday criticised the government’s decision to implement a stricter immigration policy, while saying that the administration is sending mixed signals to foreign nationals.
“I’m hearing that Guyana is open for business but you have to write an exam before you enter,” Rohee quipped during his contribution to the debate on the 2015 budget. “I’m hearing we will clamp down on work permits but at the same time we will promote tourism,” he added.
Struggling to be heard above incessant heckling from the government side of the House, the PPP/C MP stressed that while the rest of the world appears to be moving forward with immigration practices, Guyana “is now moving back” with its immigration policy. In this regard, he referenced moves by the EU to remove Visa restrictions for a number of Caricom countries.
According to Rohee, when he left office, steps were being taken to put in place a more liberal visa policy, including the introduction of a tourist card. The former minister said the new government should have continued along that line rather than making it difficult for foreign nationals to gain entry.
He said he felt sad as a Guyanese when he saw “poor Indian nationals sitting on the tarmac of the airport” because it reminded him of the “Guyanese bench” at the Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados.
As he prepared to attack new Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan on his management of the crime situation, Rohee proclaimed, “The king is dead, long live the king!”
Rohee was unimpressed with how the new government is handling the country’s security. He said any description of the country’s crime situation as “depressing,” as was stated in the budget, “is an understatement” and he referred to the new security strategy as the “dog and pony show.”
Ramjattan, not to be outdone, called for a discussion of the “goat show.”
Rohee said Ramjattan has inherited what he left at the Ministry of Home Affairs, inclusive of reforms at every one of the agencies under the ministry. “Reforms at the Ministry of Home Affairs, reforms at the police force, reforms of Guyana Prison Service, reforms at the Guyana Fire Service, costing billions of dollars, what have you done with it?” the MP demanded.
Rohee also cautioned that any attempt to go after rogue policemen must be carefully done, lest the constitution be violated.
He also derided the probes the APNU+AFC government has instituted. “Guyana has become a haven for audits, investigations and probes,” he declared. “Nine audits, two probes, 12 investigations, two commission of inquiries and four reviews all taking place simultaneously,” he added.
He warned that “experience in other countries has shown that exercises of this nature slow down a country’s economy and that is precisely what is happening in Guyana. This country will suffer from collateral damage as a result of these actions that are taking place in this country.”
While the rest of his presentation saw the parliamentarian battling loud heckling, the government side of the House was momentarily quiet when Rohee highlighted the fact that while the budget allocates money for the operations of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) under the Public Security Ministry, its functions are not gazetted under the responsibility of the Subject Minister.
