…FROM A DRUG ECONOMY TO A LAW AND ORDER SOCIETY

SOMETIME in early 2001, a drug dealer stood in the middle of the dance floor of a popular nightspot, guns hanging out both pockets, and told a patron that he could kill him and nothing will come out of it. In 2006, James Jordan, a mechanic, was caught red-handed in an extra-marital affair with the friend of a known drug dealer.

He was cornered at his home and subjected to threats under the death duress of the maxim gun and told in no uncertain terms, if he persists, he will die. After that encounter, this mechanic lost all his government contracts and was pressured by the tax authority to pay up. These incidents characterized the curious and dangerous relationship between the drug underworld and the state pre-2015. The confident tone of the lawless, echoed and resonated through every crevice of the Guyanese society pre-2015, pointed to the ignominious confirmation that Guyana had become a pariah drug-filled lawless society.

The Streets
The pre-2015 streets rejoiced in diabolic opportunities that were brought by the drug empire, opportunities which can be regarded as pyrrhic victories. These ranged from contract killings from as low as GY $200,000 to GY $1,000,000, guns for hire, contracts to damage or injure opponents, arson contracts and, of course, the sale of the ubiquitous ‘white substance’. Street soldiers, rogue police, mules, thugs and more purchased ‘Allions’ and enjoyed the ritual of the Seawall lime with bottles of Ciroc. They dabbled in blood money and the street economy appeared to be ‘booming’ but it was an empire on sinking sand. The tradeoff was wanton execution of loved one’s add an ambiance of constant violence and Guyana becoming a pariah nation appearing on numerous financial blacklists. The ascension of the coalition government to office immediately ended the blood party and the transition began. Immediately after 2015, the streets proclaimed ‘money aint running’, frustrated by the change. As the transition to normalized economy began to sink in 4 years later, the streets are now seeing there is a life beyond drugs and mayhem. Construction jobs have reached up to GY$10,000 per day and numerous opportunities abound with the imminent oil and gas economy, the transition is almost complete. In the second term, there is no doubt, the coalition government will consolidate these excellent efforts.

The State
The state apparatus in the pre-2015, vis-a-vis the drug empire, was a guaranteed friend of this scourge. The state was accessible to drug lords. This accessibility became quite easy due to the simple pleasure of the nightlife. Heads of state and senior state functionaries frequented nightspots owned by the operators of the underworld, private rooms were secured to cut deals. This unapologetic public posture by representatives of the highest level of the state with the slum Lords who bestrode the capital with impunity, confirmed that we were smacked down in the narco-state. There was no fear of the judicial system by those who possessed billions from the trade, it was well known that the judiciary was compromised and access granted at a fee. Rogue senior and junior policemen knew the players and refused reports that came in against them. During the transition that began with President David Granger at the helm, saw the emergence of an independent judiciary; the entire nation knows that the courts are now a place where bribery is no longer a casual affair. Serious police reforms have led to a stringent Guyana Police Force. The mere perception of this has been well for Guyana, the lawless think twice before they commit acts. In this transition, the sight of the President or Ministers in open view of the public mingling and socializing with drug dealers is completely non-existent. The state is no longer accessible; it is no longer open season. The transition is almost complete and it is reasonable to estimate that in a second term, drug empire will take its final breath.

The Economy
Those who have posited research and submissions on Guyana as narco-state from the economic standpoint have not highlighted the mundane economic impact of the drug trade on legitimate businesses. Pre-2015, a legitimate business had to compete unfairly with the numerous businesses operating based on the proceeds of the drug trade. In a simple setting, a person who established an honest clothing business had to sell an average pair of jeans at GY$6000. The clothing business owned by the wife or girlfriend of a drug baron could sell those same jeans for GY$3000 because it is not her only source of income and she could subsidize her overheads. Customers would instinctively go for the cheaper option and the genuine businesses went out of operation. The transition to a law and order society is a welcomed thing for many businesses, they no longer face this challenge.

Conclusion
The transition is almost complete and will receive full consolidation in a second term of this no-nonsense approach to the drug trade.