Dear Editor,
IN GUYANA, four daily newspapers carry issues and stories, also photographs, on the front pages that the editors believe are the most important; and for that very reason, Mr. Carvil Duncan’s and Mr. Aeshwar Deonarine’s photographs have been featuring on the front pages.On Wednesday, 3rd February, 2016, on the front page of Kaieteur News, printed in block letters, read the following: ‘Following Criminal Charges Carvil Duncan status on Constitutional Bodies Questioned’

I turned to page 14 and read the entire article — some of the paragraphs more than once — and reflected on the numerous public servants, the employees from the private sector, and other employees who were accused of the offences of fraud, larceny by clerk or servant, and embezzlement; and who never admitted to the crime they were accused of, but yet were arrested, locked up and taken before the courts even before the police had completed their investigations. Once before the court, the prosecutor would ask for substantial bail, and may even ask that the accused person’s passport be lodged with the police, which to my mind may be a reasonable request, depending upon the circumstances.

Well, I have always had an interest in trade union-related issues, and I feel that Mr. Duncan is right up there with the best we have ever had or have, and that list includes Joseph Pollydore, Leslie Melville, Selo Baichan, Richard Ishmael, Lincoln Lewis, George DePena, Komal Chand and many others; but it is beyond the comprehension of the average thinking people how he can justify his decision not to resign from these very important commissions on which he sits.

He is Chairman, Public Service Commission; member of the Judicial Service Commission and Member of the Police Service Commission. The importance of these Commissions cannot be overstated because they deal with the dispensation of justice and the day-to-day aspects of people’s lives.

By his own admission, he is saying that he did sign certain documents in order to receive almost one million dollars, and also for Deonarine to receive nearly twenty-eight million dollars! Whether he may have misunderstood his role or functions, only he alone can say.

In the justice system, there are three popular phrases or slogans we hear: (1) innocent until proven guilty, (2) Justice delayed is justice denied, (3) The right to be heard; and while I fully subscribe to all these doctrines, it has to be applicable to all, not only to the rich, the privileged, those who are led to believe that they are powerful, and those with political connections. But to each and every citizen of this country, we all must openly agree that had a class one clerk been accused of stealing, by whatever means or way, one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), or worse two hundred and eighty thousand dollars (G$280,000) the cases would have been dealt with differently.

Someone needs to tell me where are the equal rights and justice for all.

Mr. Duncan, by refusing to resign from these constitutional bodies, has in no small way eroded the confidence of the people these commissioners need to enjoy. But I rather suspect that he and other persons out there may be saying that if a Member of Parliament who is before the court charged with stealing hundreds of millions of dollars has not resigned, then why should I. There are times, I believe, when you must jump before you are pushed.

As for Mr. Deonarine, how his case was dealt with reminds me about a certain policeman. Here is a man accused of stealing close to ($28,000,000) twenty-eight million dollars from the state; admitted to having signed so as to pay himself money owed to him (a statement that is rebutted by the Board of the Guyana Power and Light); transferred this sum abroad; was sent to bring back same, or was allowed to travel abroad, by not having his passport seized; and has not returned. Now we are asking Interpol to having him arrested for us.

Well, as for the policeman in question, I do not want to use an adjective to describe him, but in my time as a recruit of the Police Training School at Eve Leary, we were told many stories about that man. The one that would readily come to the minds of my squaddies’ and me is that that policeman arrested a man and was taking him to the police station on his bicycle. The man purposely caused his cap to fall off his head so he could ask this policeman for permission to go for same. His request was not granted; the policeman told him to remain where he was and hold his bicycle while he goes for the man’s cap. The cap was retrieved, but when the policeman turned around, neither the arrested man nor his bicycle was there.

Sincerely,
ARCHIE W. CORDIS