A saying that is as relevant today as it was all those decades ago when I first heard it is, “Whatever is done in the dark always comes to light.” There are many variations.
I first heard it when a neighbour’s daughter became pregnant. I didn’t know what it meant then because I was not even ten.
As the years went by, I realised that the statement was not confined to unmarried pregnant girls. Today, I say to the authorities that whatever is done in darkness always comes to light.
The government quietly granted the contract to salvage the MV Barima to BK International. There was no announcement. The nation first became aware during a sitting of the MV Barima Commission of Inquiry.
Someone in the audience asked about refloating the boat. One of the commissioners blurted out that the contract had been granted to BK International. The audience was shocked; there had been no announcement.
The commissioner tried to backtrack. He said that he was not supposed to make that announcement. The situation went further. Another tried to tell the audience that BK International was one of the companies shortlisted.
It turned out that BK International was indeed granted the contract. And this was done ahead of all the international companies that have experience in salvaging sunken vessels.
BK International was not known to have salvaged any vessel. A few weeks later, there were reports that the company was trying to recruit professionals.
Again, that saying became applicable. No one was aware that salvaging efforts had begun until news emerged that a diver had died at the scene of the sunken MV Barima. The company quickly said that the diver, a Venezuelan, died of a heart attack. And this was even before the post-mortem.
There has been no statement about the continued operation. Darkness surrounds the operation.
Darkness also surrounded the incident in the vicinity of the home of Superintendent Prem Narine. The video footage was rumoured to have been erased. But the video surfaced at a press conference hosted by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed.
All hell broke loose. Mohamed was arrested, as were two policemen who were accused of leaking the footage to Mohamed. They have all been charged. There was no news of additional video until a second surfaced.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, who is usually silent when asked questions, put out a statement that contained a veiled threat to the people who posted that second video on social media.
According to the DPP, this second video was disclosed to the defence team in the Mohamed trial. The second video appears to contradict earlier statements by the police, but the courts will decide.
No one knows the status of the Regional One Commander who was sanctioned by the United States for aiding and abetting Venezuelan and Colombian drug dealers. No one knows the fate of Mae Thomas, who was questioned by US immigration, had her visa cancelled and was eventually sanctioned. Darkness prevails.
The nation remains in the dark about the fate of the Black Belly sheep Barbados gave to Guyana.
The government awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to Tepui to construct the Belle Vue Pump Station. The company was given a large mobilisation fee. Whether the government recovered the fee after Tepui failed to initiate the project is not known.
Reporters reportedly asked questions. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who was at one time the most vocal of the Cabinet members, is no longer vocal.
A burning question surrounds Deputy Commissioner Fizal Karimbaksh. He has been accused of rape, but he remains on the job. There is no Police Service Commission, but the law provides for action by other people. One of them is the Prime Minister, in collaboration with the Police Commissioner.
The nation has been told that the Director of Public Prosecutions has been dealing with the file on the matter. Unconfirmed reports state that the file was returned to the police on two occasions.
Once upon a time, press conferences were common features. Every Tom, Dick and Harrylall hosted one at the drop of a hat. It was a toss-up between Jagdeo and Minister Edghill as to who hosted the most press conferences.
Even the Police Commissioner is no longer hosting press conferences. That brings one to the role of Black people in the government. Some of them are in key positions. There are the Prime Minister, the Home Affairs Minister and the Works Minister.
The last time the Prime Minister was present at a press conference was one day after the MV Barima sank. He shared the press conference with Works Minister Juan Edghill. He is now not available for questions on anything.
A man was beaten to death in the Vreed-en-Hoop lockups. One would have expected the Police Commissioner to be available for questions. It took a lawyer, Dr Dexter Todd, to make the nation aware of the cause of death.
Two policemen have been charged with murder. The police had earlier stated that four men were under close arrest for the crime. The number turned out to be six. Darkness surrounds the reason for only five being charged.
Times have changed. The media tore into the then President David Granger for failing to hold press conferences. Some of those media operatives are still active. They are silent.
Gone are the days when there were weekly post-Cabinet press briefings. Plans were announced, situations explained and answers were provided to questions.
“Darkness overcomes the day / The night wind blows its lonely way” belong to the song “Poor Man” by Jamaican broadcaster and recording artist John Jones.
This must be the theme of the government.
