LAST week, we reported on a meeting between China’s top diplomat here and the Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, to discuss recent robberies of businesses owned by people of Chinese descent and measures to be taken to boost confidence in the general business community. The minister was accompanied by Commissioner of Police, Leslie James
Chinese businesses in the past were rarely ever robbed and this unusual occurrence has led the news media to give prominence to it. Actually, from the end of the 19th century until today, there has been a steady stream of Chinese business immigrants to Guyana. Over the last century, such immigrants were mostly engaged in the restaurant or cook-shop, grocery and laundry businesses until, with the spread of washing machines, the laundry business became unprofitable. Chinese cook-shops and groceries continued to grow in numbers and sizes, prospered, and became very much a part of the Guyanese landscape.

Such Chinese immigrants were welcomed and accepted by the Guyanese population and there were many inter-marriages. Whenever these Chinese businesspersons had accumulated enough assets and money, they either returned home or emigrated to North America. Those who chose to remain became part of the Guyanese population. Chinese immigrants were never regarded as strangers, as in so many other countries, but were accepted as belonging to Guyana as anyone else. It is therefore preposterous to think that anyone dislikes or profiles persons of Chinese ancestry. Guyana, as a multi-cultural, multi-racial country, which has been peopled by immigrants, has never had any kind of anti-immigrant profiling. We do not believe anyone in the Chinese business community feels that he/she is being targeted or profiled by any Guyanese.

We of course do not condone or tolerate anyone being robbed in Guyana and have worked with the law-enforcing bodies to eradicate such criminality. We feel, however, that the reason we now hear about Chinese businesses being robbed, is that unlike in the recent past, when there were comparatively fewer Chinese businesses, today, there are hundreds spread all over the country. This results in more of such businesses being open to attacks by opportunistic criminals.

When His Excellency Ambassador Cui Jianchun, China’s Ambassador, recently met the commissioner of police and the Minister of Public Security to discuss the issue of robberies of businesses owned by persons of Chinese descent, they were at one and the ambassador’s visit was welcome. Relations between Guyana and China were very close from the time relations were first established in 1972. At that time, the Cold War was raging and Cuba was the only country in the hemisphere that had established relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Any other country attempting to have relations with China was regarded as unacceptable by the USA and Guyana drew the ire of our great northern neighbour by so doing and giving China an entre` into South America; the PRC has never forgotten Guyana’s principled stance.

From those days, relations between China and Guyana have always been close and almost familial. Ambassador Cui’s discussion with the commissioner and minister was done in the greatest friendliness and good faith and the Guyanese side will do its best to address the ambassador’s concerns and ensure the security of Chinese businesses.

The ministry immediately issued a news release in which it accepted Ambassador Cui’s complaint of the criminal burglaries, but cleared the air pointing out that Chinese businesses were not being targeted, since this was ascertained from interrogation of suspects who had been arrested for such robberies and also, the crime statistics do not support such an assumption. Once the Chinese community realises this truth, they would feel much more secure and be able to conduct their business with confidence which is, after all, what the government, the ministry and the Guyanese community as a whole wish.
Nevertheless, the government’s side assured the ambassador that additional police presence would be deployed and permanently stationed in the business areas and heightened surveillance would be taken to deter criminal activities. Actually, before the ambassador’s visit, several suspects who had robbed Chinese businesses were taken into custody. The commissioner of police and the minister would soon be meeting the Chinese business community and would then be able to answer their questions and address their concerns. It is expected, too, that the commissioner and his crime specialist would be able to advise how they could improve their own security such as by the use of cameras at strategic points and how to be able to identify suspicious persons. We are quite certain that the Chinese business community would feel more comfortable and secure and would be able to conduct their business with confidence.