Dear Editor,
I WOULD like to comment on the letter in Saturday’s Kaieteur News titled “Is Minister Broomes being vindictive?”This is the third letter that this writer has penned criticising Minister Broomes. It went beyond general Government or policy critique, and was a personal attack on the Minister, accusing her of vindictiveness.

I question why a respected media house would publish such an accusation. The writer, a Mr. Sherwyn Downer, was a PPP IMC PR Officer for Bartica. After the 2015 election, he claimed to be a Mine Workers’ Union representative. He was subsequently arrested and charged for fraud, the allegations being that he unlawfully collected a mine worker’s salary without consent, which he then used for his own purpose.

He was recently released on bail from the Camp Street prison, and is still before the court on that matter. He has now resurfaced, claiming to be a mining advocate.

The writer has now revealed his true motive behind his constant criticism of the minister. It is her involvement in a raid at the Platinum Night Club in Bartica, a known location for soliciting prostitutes, especially foreign prostitutes.

It is no coincidence that “Junior”, operator of that enterprise, has a relationship with the writer.

As to the accusations laid against the minister, these were well-publicised events; therefore, the Guyanese public can judge the minister’s actions for themselves. In the first incident, approximately 18 girls and Junior were passed through the courts. Most of them pleaded guilty to various charges, for which they paid fines.

While Junior was charged as the mastermind of those illegal activities at the Platinum Bar, the public does not know what became of that matter.

Regarding the accusations he laid against the minister about the Puruni incident, most Guyanese can recall seeing a man on the television news stating that he “borrowed the girls from Junior.” That statement alone would be enough to convict someone in most societies, because, in 2016, it is illegal to “borrow” a human being, as we are aware that slavery ended in 1838. Again, the police and the laws have proven inadequate to prosecute those offences.

However the point is not lost that these two jailbirds have been allowed to besmirch the character of the minister. And while we are waiting on this government to modernise the laws, and police tactics in Guyana to bring them up to international standards, we would like to see greater law enforcement action and some successful convictions against criminals who abuse women and workers for their own selfish gain.

Regards,
BARTICA RESIDENT