Most people grew up hearing that when they don’t hear they gun feel. Guyana is a classic example of this saying. From the time the Venezuelan migrants began arriving in this country there was a clarion call for the government to document these people.
They began arriving in Region One. Many were Amerindians living in Venezuela but who opted to return to Guyana after the economic situation in the neighbouring country worsened. Those who made the initial trek were of the same tribe as those who lived in the bordering Guyanese communities. Some were indeed related. They came in trickles, but that trickle soon became a flood. Other Venezuelans began coming.
The call to the government was to have these people registered and monitored. However, the government shrugged. It then rushed to grant nationalisation papers to many on the grounds that their parents were Guyanese. Checks and balances were waived. All it took was a toshao to say that he knew the parent. Pretty soon these people applied for and secured birth certificates. They also received identification cards. They were now securely Guyanese.
Others came and moved to other parts of the country. The government seemed to be unaware of the movement of these people. When asked in the National Assembly, the Foreign Affairs Minister proclaimed that there were none in Region Ten. This answer turned out to be false. The government was also unaware that Venezuelan migrants had reached Region Five.
When asked about the number of migrants in the country, the answer was forty thousand. This too was incorrect. Analyses revealed that there were between 80,000 and 100,000 Venezuelan migrants in the country. Georgetown and its environs accommodate more than three thousand. The government had to know. A census was conducted but to this day the people of Guyana have not seen the findings of this census. Bartica is home to more than one thousand Venezuelans.
At the end of the previous census there was an elaborate declaration. The venue was the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. That census detailed the number of people in the country, the number of households, the poverty level, the size of the school age population and other relevant information. This time around, the census has become a national secret. The government is refusing to release the findings. No one knows the exact school age population; no one knows the size of the labour force so that when the government talks about importing skilled people the nation has no idea of the reason for this.
In the National Assembly, the political opposition warned the government of the potential for military infiltration. Guyana has a territorial issue with Venezuela to the point that the neighbouring republic has actually named a governor for Essequibo. Guyanese soldiers have been shot at and injured as they travel along the borders. There is now talk about a missing Guyanese whose job was to transport fuel for the Guyana Defence Force soldiers in that corner of the world.
The government paid no heed. In fact, the Foreign Service parliamentary committee has failed to meet to discuss anything remotely close to the Venezuelan issue.
There have been incidents involving some of the Venezuelans in Guyana. A Parika man feigned death to save himself when a Venezuelan attempted to decapitate him. And this was not the only case of decapitation.
The government failed to take note of the first explosion at the Guyana Power and Light facility on Mandela Avenue. Then there was another at the East Ruimveldt Police outpost the same day in May this year. This second explosion was more powerful than the first. It blew away a large metal gate. No one was hurt during the two previous explosions. Then came Sunday evening at Regent and King Streets. There was a horrific blast that claimed one life and injured others. Vehicles were destroyed and nearby buildings showed signs of damage.
This has been the most powerful blast so far. Obviously, the bomb makers are fashioning more powerful bombs. These are being tested at the various locations. The government seems to be unaware that there is a plan to attack installations with even more powerful bombs. The government wanted votes. It has sown the wind. It will reap the whirlwind. The sad part of all this is that innocent people are being caught up. The people in the government have a way of insulating themselves from the local situations.
During the crime wave of 2002-2006 some were able to vacate their homes and occupy rooms in the Pegasus. Others have armed guards. The ordinary man is not so insulated.
This issue involving the Venezuelans brings back stark memories of the helicopter crash that claimed five lives. All of those who died were prominent soldiers. One, Mike Charles, was touted as the best helicopter pilot in the country.
On 6 December 2023, a Bell 412EP helicopter operated by the Guyana Defence Force crashed in western Guyana, killing five out of the seven on board. The crash happened about 30 miles east of Arau near the Venezuelan border. The report on that crash is still to be released. The government is not even saying anything about. It has resisted all pressures to release the report. Initial statements were that the chopper crashed in bad weather.
There were whisperings that the helicopter might have been shot down by Venezuela. There was even a report that a government advisor said as much. Not many in the public are pursuing questions about the crash and the report. And the government is not inclined to welcome a change in this situation.
