HPS confirms…
HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon said, Thursday, that an investigation has, indeed, commenced into the alleged mistreatment of Amerindian citizens by Chinese nationals. The Cabinet Secretary made the disclosure in response to questions at his weekly post-Cabinet media briefing at Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.
Asked how Government views the allegations by the Amerindians from Lethem against a Chinese company, Luncheon said: “In so far as the claims and the criticisms are concerned, I know that the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security launched an investigation.”
“I have seen, very cursorily, the report of that investigation. But I am aware that the Ministry of Labour has called in the principals and intend to go to the nth degree in addressing shortcomings, the departure from rules and regulations and other offensive type behavior, once identified by the principals in Lethem.”
He said he does not believe that the accused company came to Guyana to do business through the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-INVEST).
His reply was: “I don’t believe that the commercial firms, particularly, buying and selling, because they have got other forms of commercial firms. But I do not believe that commercial firms, their entry into the retail sector in Guyana, attracts the interest of GO-INVEST.”
Luncheon pointed out that GO-INVEST was not established to promote buying and selling.
“So it would be horrifying were GO-INVEST to, suddenly, see part of their mandate in facilitating and offering incentives when the whole of Guyana buying and selling and, I presume they don’t get incentives other than making money from sweat and marketing and such likes.
“So I don’t believe that GO-INVEST could have, conceivably, been involved in that one, or in any of the other new arrivals in the retail sector,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Home Affairs Ministry has expressed support for the move to investigate allegations of misconduct by some Chinese nationals.
A recent statement from that Ministry said: “The Ministry of Home Affairs welcomes the initiative by the Ministry of Labour to investigate recent allegations of misconduct, by certain Chinese nationals resident in Guyana, against a number of Amerindian Guyanese citizens previously employed by China Trading Co.”
“More specifically, the Ministry of Home Affairs is deeply concerned about the allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse by the said Chinese nationals committed against Amerindian girls and boys while in the employ of the said company.”
“The Ministry of Home Affairs has called upon the Guyana Police Force to investigate these allegations in the context of the Sexual Offences Act recently assented to  by His Excellency the President.”
The Head of State publicly assented to the legislation last Monday and a public awareness campaign surrounding it is underway,  to educate the general population about the new offences and penalties created in the statute.