Dear Editor
YET another missive from Dr Leslie Ramsammy that is intended to mislead and create an unfavourable image of the A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government.

Editor, mischief and lies never take a holiday; these two immoral human characteristics are what corrupt this world, because such sub-cultural practices are inherently a part of daily life, forever alive, seeking to continue the daily pottage of deception, misinformation, perpetrated by a particular category of persons with an agenda to change history, while seeking to besmirch those who labour to bring about genuine change.
In Guyana, as is now clearly established, a clique of clearly discredited political leaders is desperate at pulling out every stop in a bid to return to power. In fact, so urgent is their quest for office that these have-beens, in a dishonest manner have resorted to the continuing praise of a party leader who has already earned his place among some of the infamous leaders of the 21st century.

Ramsammy in his latest effort, “The fishermen and their families, abandoned by their own government”, of Kaieteur News, May 07 2018, attempts to convey the impression that the current government has shown no sympathy, care or concern to the relatives of the dead fishermen. In fact, reading Ramsammy’s letter in its entirety, one is at a loss to

comprehend the point at issue, since it quickly became obvious that all he wanted to do was to praise his leader, Bharrat Jagdeo for travelling to Suriname to meet with Guyanese fisherfolk and their families. In fact, he sycophantically spoke of Jagdeo as “…travelling to Suriname to provide comfort and support to families….” Let me remind this sycophant that as leader of the parliamentary opposition, Jagdeo holds a constitutional office and is paid a salary for relevant duties.

It would seem that this former minister, whose hands are indeed bloody in his facilitating the acquisition of the infamous laptop for convicted drug baron Roger Khan, seems to infer from his diatribe that the nation’s president should have personally travelled to Suriname. He did not have to, since his able and competent National Security Minister was mandated to undertake such a visit, which he has done, in light of the tragedy. That is the purpose for having a cabinet and officers – that they represent the affairs of the state, for and on behalf of the Head of State, in any given circumstance.

Ramsammy ought to recall that there have been many past murderous attacks on Guyanese fishermen at sea, resulting in multiple lives lost, including a number of instances where dismembered remains were washed ashore, and in others where bodies have been never found. I do not ever recall Jagdeo, as president, ever travelling, whether to the Corentyne or Suriname to empathise with the bereaved families.

To describe the government’s approach as one of a “timid and uncaring posture…even as this tragedy is eliciting disbelieve [sic] in the population”, is a tragic reminder of the abysmal mindset of wholesale deception that is the forte of Ramsammy and his ilk.

How does the latter ascribing being “timid” especially, to the coalition government, is left to the dark recesses of the abysmal imagination that is Ramsammy et al and what more could be disbelieving to the Guyanese public than the many bodies that were once dumped in open spaces and ditches and policemen being shot down in our streets, as well as being engaged in regular gun battles during the “troubles”?

Mr Ramsammy must be reminded that those incidents, among the numerous ones, occurred during his period as a cabinet minister. This is another crude, ugly, and dishonest attempt to convey the impression of no prior occurrence.

In fact, it was this government that has been able to capture and convict several persons. Despite the decrease in the frequency of attacks, piracy still remains a threat to the lives of the men who ply their trade out at sea and government and the fisherfolk are still putting measures in place to ensure the safety of the thousands who depend on this trade for their livelihoods.

This is an incident that although involving Guyanese who have been residing in Suriname, took place in Surinamese waters. Diplomatically, it is obvious that it is Suriname who must be allowed to take the initiative in leading the search and recovery operation. But they have been doing so in cooperation with their Guyanese counterparts. And based on the daily media reports, the exchange of information between the two CARICOM sister states would have led to the 30 arrests made thus far. The results, in these latest murders on the high seas, have been the most productive when compared to all the former similar incidents during the PPP/C’s years in office.

In retrospect, what did the PPP/C government ever do to effectively protect Guyanese fishermen from the scourge of pirate attacks carried out by their very own countrymen? The answer lies in the tranquility in which local fishermen plied their trade, from 2015 up to prior of this sad incident. This has been due to vigorous coast guard patrols, in riverine areas that were never entered before.

Further, it is obvious that the former PPP/C government would have had, with the passage of time, a more than clear idea as to whom these Guyanese high-seas pirates were, and their involvement in high-seas attacks, including murders, based on local intelligence and that received from Suriname law enforcement. The obvious question to be asked is: what did they as a government do with the information? Absolutely nothing! I have no doubt that they did not want to rock the constituency boat.

To state “A National Day of Grief is appropriate and must be considered”, reads as a Ramsammy recommendation. This, again, is wholly fraudulent and is an attempt at political piggybacking on the prior made announcement by President Granger, that there will be three days of national mourning. How much more politically deranged can Ramsammy become.
Regards
Dillon Goring