I must have disappointed a lot of people yesterday. I was out of the jurisdiction and did not return until after midnight Tuesday night. But my friend Bobby who recognizes his responsibility to his audience, cut me some slack. He permitted me to be one day late. This will not be a common occurrence. But during my disappearance many things happened. One important happening was the death of Pope Francis, the first pope from Latin America. He died on Monday one day after celebrating mass at the Vatican.
His death was the most newsworthy event in North America. It simply dominated the media and continues to do so. Messages of sympathy poured into the Vatican from every corner of the globe. People spoke of the Pope’s humility and of his simplicity. He refused a salary which was reported as US$32,000 a year. He reportedly gave the money to charity. Immediately I thought about the leaders in Guyana.
Pope Francis claimed that his living expenses and his traveling were covered by the Vatican. He therefore had no need of money. My leaders’ living expenses, their traveling and even their entertainment are covered by the state. Yet they collect a whopping salary. At the same time nearly half of the population is going hungry. This just shows what caring for people is. Pope Francis met the poor, the sick and the needy around the world. The same cannot be said for my leaders about doing the same in Guyana.
It is said that my leaders exhibit a disrespect for people, particularly those of African descent. At the United Nations forum on people of African Descent, Guyana sent a man so far removed from his African ancestry that it begs the imagination to understand his selection. Minister Joseph Hamilton who spoke at the forum told the tales of what his government is doing for the people of Guyana. The forum wanted to know specifically what was being done for black people.
Indeed, white America sees all of us as black. History, distorted over the years, suggests that humankind descended from black Africa. But by no stretch of imagine can I imagine that certain people in this country see me as kith and kin. They have cussed those who look like me as hungry belly dogs. And this is not of recent vintage. Glenn Lall recalled how people in his community of Wakenaam treated black people. And this treatment was not unique to Wakenaam. It was common in every part of Guyana.
When a black person went to the home of an East Indian for a drink of water, the homeowner would seek out the oldest utensil. After the person had finished drinking that utensil would be thrown away. Yet it was a descendant of these Indian people who went to the United Nations to represent Black people. Former Finance Minister Winston Jordan found this galling. He said that his friends overseas, particularly the Barbadians, teased him mercilessly. They all wanted to know if Guyana did not have black people to represent their own interests.
This was not the first forum where this travesty was perpetrated. And certainly not the first time at this forum. This was most disrespectful to black Guyanese. Jordan asked whether black people or any other Guyanese would ever see a black Guyanese going to an Indian diaspora conference to represent East Indians.
There was another revelation, this time by the United States. Two weeks after declaring that the US Government has full confidence in Guyana’s leadership with the visit of three Secretaries of State in four years, Guyana’s Attorney General Anil Nandlall hit out at the US Government over its latest International Drug Control Strategy Report, which was released by its State Department on Monday.
The report flagged the law enforcement agencies in Guyana for corruption and bribery. It highlighted nepotism in the public sector and political entities as complicating the fight against money laundering and narco trafficking. The report described the Guyana Police Force as a “weak link” in the fight against money laundering, while noting shoddy investigations and a lack of adequate prosecutions.
In a response to the report on Tuesday night, Attorney General Nandlall demanded evidence of corruption among public officials. He said any statement linking money laundering to corruption amongst public officials, must be substantiated by empirical/anecdotal evidence. The report stated in parts, “Corruption within law enforcement, bribery, and nepotism in the public sector and political entities further complicate the fight against drug trafficking.
“Authorities often drop charges or never file them and do not conduct serious investigations; traffickers are able to evade prosecution. Additionally, the economic appeal of the drug trade in Guyana, with its high poverty rate and low-paying public sector jobs, leads individuals to become involved in illicit activities and hinders efforts to curb trafficking.
“In two separate incidents in July, four GDF officers were charged with trafficking a total of 213 kilograms of cannabis.”
“In 2024, the United States and Guyana’s Joint Interagency Task Force, including its Defense Force (GDF), collaborated to seize 4.4 tonnes of cocaine worth approximately US$195 million – the country’s largest ever drug seizure – and the interception of a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) approximately 150 miles off the coast of Guyana with 2.3 MT of cocaine.
As of October, no arrests had been made and the investigation was said to be ongoing. The report added, “Guyana continues to lack commitment and resources to achieve significant progress.” Only friends would tell you the bitter truth. But then again, big countries have no friends, only self-interest.
