Dear Editor,

IN RECENT weeks, there have been several reports emanating from different quarters in support of, or sternly against, the envisaged new roles for SARU, soon to be SARA; and SOCU.In the interest of properly educating the otherwise confused, bewildered, or plain uninformed general populace, it is instrumental in narrating just what these fancy sounding acronyms stand for.
(A) SARU: State Assets Recovery Unit; and this will soon become SARA (State Assets Recovery Agency), and is under the direct supervision of the Ministry of the Presidency (erstwhile Office of the President). It falls under direct jurisdiction of Dr. Clive Thomas (the respected economist) with the day-to-day operations headed by R’td. Major General Aubrey Heath-Retemyer. Word is that this entity will soon be reporting to, and working in conjunction with, the still to be operationalised FIU (Financial Intelligence Unit).

(B) SOCU: State Organised Crime Unit, which is headed by Senior Superintendent Sidney James. This entity is now being brought under the jurisdiction of the Guyana Police Force.

(C) CANU: The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit is the official anti-drugs agency tasked with gathering intelligence; intercepting, arresting, prosecuting and dismantling any and all illegal drugs or narco-trafficking businesses. The new anti-money laundering laws in Guyana are supposed to making it easier in going after the proverbial ‘Dons’, ‘Big Fishes’ etc. Regrettably, that has not happened, and when is still the billion-dollar question.

Frankly speaking, all of the above agencies are nice on paper, but extremely weak in actually doing anything because they lack the requisite trained human capital, modern intelligence gathering, and institutional resources such as eyes in the sky (military drones), rugged 4X4 vehicles, amphibious craft, aircraft and military grade choppers with night time operational capabilities to go into the field and in pursuit of the criminal syndicates running Guyana.

In short, they have been given a basket to fetch water. In fact, the dominant economic indicators for Guyana are drug trafficking, gun running, money laundering and human trafficking, just in case no one has noticed.

Guyana today is suffering one of its darkest moments in its economic history, with the traditional sectors such as rice and sugar underperforming mainly due to market conditions, as in rice; and the haphazard management at GUYSUCO. Oil and gas will take years to produce the first penny, and gold is extremely cyclical. The timber sector is not really going anywhere, as it has been rife with crooked deals of one kind or another, with the recent expose of BaiShanLin illustrating deeper issues of racketeering and bogus businesses augmented with human trafficking as per the recent reports of the British and German authorities.

Our so-called Ministry of National Security and Ministry of Citizenship need to do a better job of chronicling how many foreigners are in Guyana, how many are here legally versus illegally, how many have overstayed their time; and once and for all start their immediate deportation forthwith without any room for ifs, ands, or buts. The Guyanese citizenship of all BaiShanLin employees must be immediately revoked, because they came to Guyana under false pretence, and the liberties they enjoy, rest assured that we could not enjoy those in China. This also applies to other foreign entities or nationals operating here, whether they are from China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran etc. The rule of law is most important.

The recent interception of a container load of rice from Guyana containing more than 100 lbs. of cocaine, a few days ago in Jamaica, highlights the tip of the iceberg, in that the rice sector is now being used by certain unsavoury characters to launder money; and despite this information being brought to the attention of the appropriate local rice marketing authority, it was simply ignored or not acted upon, and so there is need for new leadership at the said rice marketing board, so both President Granger and Minister Holder must act immediately.

If President Granger and Minister Holder do not act condignly in dealing with this scourge, then we might as well kiss the once lucrative rice export business a permanent Sayonara (Japanese for goodbye) for the lack of a better word, because no one in their right minds will be interested in doing business with rice exporters from Guyana for the fear of opening a container or two filled with narcotics.

In case the authorities do not understand the long-term ramifications of this latest drug haul in Jamaica, let it be known that we are talking about the complete destruction and possible annihilation of an important foreign exchange earner, and this will not be an APNU/AFC versus PPP or East Indian versus Afro-Guyanese issue, but moreso a national problem wherein hundreds of thousands of struggling rice farmers scattered across the coastland sell their rice to the major millers, and this problem will have a disastrous, cascading effect upon the entire rice sector or value chain.
Bankruptcies, suicides and social fallouts will become the order of the day, with their attendant negative side effects on the wider economy.

The DEA and its Jamaican counterparts are not going to simply sweep this under the carpet, as is customary of all things illegal and criminal in Guyana, much to the point where the local private sector operates with a mercenary mindset for the most part. Heads will roll; foreign assets, including bank accounts in Miami and elsewhere, will be frozen and seized under the unforgiving anti-money laundering laws of the United States, including ‘The Patriot Act’; because there is an established nexus between the drugs trade/money laundering and terror financing. Even Jesus could not save you on this one.

There are also several crooked local bankers, whose culpability will soon surface as aiding and abetting, and seizure of their assets locally and abroad and full revocation of their US, UK and Canadian visas and that of their loved ones will take place. A word of advice to those in the local private sector: You have been crying out against the new laws to combat drug trafficking and money laundering because many of you are only too aware that you do not run a clean business, and so once the spotlight goes on you and you come under the microscope, you are going to have to face the long arm of the DEA and the US Department of Justice, and your political patrons in Guyana will be unable to intervene.

You are well advised to make a plea when the time comes in naming all those that have benefited in any way, shape or form from the proceeds of your rotten business.

This also underscores the urgent need for political finance campaign reforms, which Transparency International and its regional affiliates in Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana have been arguing for since 2000, but no one in the Caribbean Region seems interested because the proceeds of organised trans-national crimes have been financing several political campaigns across the region, and we all know only too well about the nexus of ill-gotten gains, failed states, drug lords and terror incubators; which US Ambassador Perry Holloway can deliver a full course on because he has first-hand experience, having served with distinction in very sensitive posts in both Afghanistan and Colombia.

The Government of Guyana will do well to learn from the former President of Colombia, President Alvaro Uribe Velez, who carried the fight against narco-trafficking and narco-terrorism during his term of office from 2002 until 2010; and who, with massive amounts of US military assistance and with superb training, real time intelligence and serious resolve defeated the narco-empires and the FARC guerilla movement (now called peace negotiators) that were freely supported by then Venezuelan strongman the late Hugo Chavez. The end results were amazing: Colombia regained its international investment grade; negotiated several free trade deals with the US, Canada and India, to name a few; and foreign direct investments surged, including Facebook, Google, HP, Samsung, Tata, WIPRO, Infosys and others, establishing a major presence and employing hundreds of thousands of well-educated Colombians in multiple sectors. Colombia is today the driving force in ‘The Pacific Alliance’, and is fast becoming the Silicon Valley of Latin America, as multiple incubators and innovation centres are springing forth across this resilient nation.
However, the above did not come without a patent resolve and tested leadership, which is what Guyana sadly lacks.

I have read President Granger’s books on public security which he presented me a few years back, and it is no different than The Uribe Doctrine, as it speaks to need for security, without which there will be no serious foreign investments. So President Granger needs to seriously and urgently take a page out of his own book and implement without further delay.

Today the Colombian military is the most battle hardened and field tested in Latin America, much to the point where it is now among the most sought after in the world for its readiness, and is today providing private security to several heads of state globally. Guyana lacks the ability currently, so it must allocate the requisite resources — financial and otherwise — in upping its game in terms of the necessary military preparedness, training, weapons and intelligence that will result in creation of an elite commando unit trained by the Israelis to go after the drug fraternity with clear direction to terminate with extreme prejudice. The Colombian elite commando units were trained by Israel, with the US providing the funding; and if cash is the excuse for inaction, then consider seizure of assets of the drug lords and use their cash in paying for the best that Israel can offer.

Regards,
MIKE SINGH