THESE are some of the most dangerous people in our country: They are dangerous to our national revenue collection by evading taxes payable on fuel, causing fuel to be sold cheaply to retailers who retail at the same price to that of taxable fuels; they do not pay taxes on the profits earned, so our national revenue loses more, and hence, the people of this country lose. They are dangerous to the environment. We saw in the not too distant past, when one owner of a large wharf, of large retaining outlets, restaurants and gas stations discarded fuel into the sea instead of risking being caught by the GEA or GRA. Throwing thousands of gallons of gas or diesel into the river or ocean displays enormous irresponsibility for the environment, and they threw the fuels in an area where our Amerindian citizens depend on fishing for living as well as farming. Just imagine the loss of marine life and destruction to the food chain there.
In the not too distant past, we saw a popular gold and jewellery manufacturer and retailer caught, but who also dumped into the sea, and was fined. He must be laughing all the way to the bank. We know also a most popular builder who was involved in fuel smuggling, but wiggled himself out of prosecution.
It is also a fact that when people have ships or marine vehicles and they get themselves into smuggling of fuel or electronics or gold, they also are usually involved in money laundering and drug smuggling. Already they care nothing about country, religion or humanity, so why worry, right? They already proved that they can acquire and own high calibre weapons, so they could be part of the ring that smuggle weapons and ammunitions in the country.
Some donate mightily to churches, mandirs and temples, to buy their way to paradise and purify their nastily earned wealth, but sorry my small Guyana Islamic Forum for Education, Peace and Religious Solidarity, Masjid Al-Munawar (Mosque of Enlightenment) and The Electric Mosque’s: Teachings of Islam, never approach such people for any help and will never accept any, once we know them. Ironically, while in high school, studying West Indian History, I recall at this moment Las Casas of Seville: He took part in conquest of Cuba and was given Lands and Indians (enslaved Amerindians) to work for him. Las Casas was a Man of the frock, while on the pulpit, he was struck by his text: “He that sacrifieth of a thing wrongfully gotten, his offering is ridiculous and the gifts of unjust men are not accepted.” My appeal to these smugglers and criminals is this: Please do not make gifts to religious centres and charitable organisations with ill-gotten wealth. You may fatten yourselves with it. Your relatives who know and willfully enjoy the fruits of evil will pay their own penalties.
How can these and others like them live and enjoy their ill-gained wealth, with the thought that they themselves are thieves, sucking the life blood of their country and country folks? How can their children respect them or their wives? They may spoil their children or over feed them with all kind dainties and vehicles, but the fact remains they partake of dishonest wealth and luxury and fattens their bodies with monies robbed off the citizens of this country and at the destruction of the lives of our native populations, others and our economy. If in drugs, look at the international and local mayhem caused to youths whose lives are shattered, and parents suffering at the destruction of their children and their future.
Imagine the audacity of the smugglers! They enter the GEA compound with the most up to date weapons to steal fuel markers. Imagine the profits for them to be energized to such a point. I am recalling when the home of the Head of the GEA had a grenade launched, not to explode but to create fear, as a court case in fuel smuggling was in process. Their profits must be real great! It is also annoying to people like us involved in honest business, who pay taxes, and at times are taxed or pressured to our wits end, but we comply because we respect the law, and wish to eat and live on blessed monies.
What to do with such people? The few hundreds of thousands of dollars in a fine is a mockery and encourage thievery to such extent, that these stinky bandits (and woooo oh boy, they hate to called bandits or criminals or thieves but that is what they are) enjoy lifestyles that only smugglers and drug lords can. To such a level that youngish successful, honest entrepreneurs are at times wrongly accused to be involved in such crimes.
There should be laws with power, for example, imprisonment for life for such kinds of smuggling, and forfeiture of all bank accounts and assets, and the ‘teeth’ should be such that they go after assets placed in relatives names, who have to prove where they got the wealth from. Ah! But why care or worry? Maybe in about twenty years or thirty years, like many ideas/suggestions I gave about twenty or thirty years ago are now having fruition. But they always forget where it came from originally. The other penalty for such smuggling and for drug lords should be death by hanging or firing squad.
