THE situation I saw on the seawall occurred a month ago. The incident in the National Park occurred last Sunday. I was with my dog on the wall in the morning hours, when I saw three police cars and two military vehicles pulled up. The British High Commissioner and a lady came out of their diplomatic SUV, and they headed toward the beach, north of the bandstand.

The security ranks, with guns, stood watching the two ladies as they walked on territory that I am familiar with since I was 10 years old until they went back to their vehicles. Up to this day, I do not know who that lady with the High Commissioner was and what she was doing in Guyana. I saw no press coverage from the print media or online media houses.

Who was she? She had to be a very important figure from the UK because she was given this intimidating security coverage. Was that kind of security escort necessary? I see Cabinet ministers all the time in different parts of Georgetown and they have no security ranks with them. Twice, I met Minister Charles Ramson on the seawall and he had no security escort with him.

I guess if the British diplomatic mission in Guyana requested those policemen and soldiers to accompany the visitor to the beach, then I think the relevant authority could not have refused. That is the obligation of the host country.

My question is — should the request have been made in the first place? But there are other relevant questions. Given the hostile attitude in some quarters in Guyana, no matter how tiny those enclaves are, should ministers not be accompanied by police and military escorts too?

I saw a video of Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, being prevented from entering a community hall in Region Five. There were about three persons blocking her entry. If those three police vehicles and two military convoys were there, then the minister could have gained access.

Next – the National Park scenario. I think there may be very few staff at the National Park that knows that place more than me. I exercised and rode in the park “before I was born.” For years now, some Venezuelans spouses and their children would go under one of the shelters every Sunday to read the Bible and pray.

What I saw Sunday was disheartening. The security rank told the gathering that they can no longer use the facility. They have to register and pay a fee. The shelter in the National Park is public space. Most of the shelters are dilapidated structures with wooden benches that are rotting, and they are normally smelly.

What this new policy of the park’s administration means is that after Friday afternoon prayers at the mosques, Muslim cannot go under one of those huts and read the Koran. The new policy means that a group of Hindus cannot go on a Sunday morning under one of those huts and read extracts from the Bhagavad Gita. This discriminates against people practising their religion.

Twenty footballers can take their balls and play soccer anytime they want in the park. It is a public space. My heart sunk when I saw how those Venezuelans were treated because if the Ministry of Public Woks adopts the same kind of attitude, then families can no longer gather on the beach by the bandstand on the seawall.
When I saw the incident, I called the administrator of the park, Mr. Persaud. He agreed to let them use the facility for that day, but he said they must register and a lower fee would be allowed.

Why do you have to pay a fee to go to a public space to pray? I called the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Robert Persaud, who is chair of the National Parks Commission. He said he does not agree with stopping the people from having their prayer sessions every Sunday under one of the huts. He told me he will intervene. I am looking forward to a positive outcome.

What is so hard for Guyanese to understand that we ran from our own country when economy, politics and life had broken down here? And where did we run to – all over the world. Countries were nice to us.

Human decency dictates that we should be nice to people who come here looking for a future. I hate very few things in life but one of the things I hate are Guyanese who have spouses, children, family members and relatives in other countries and are against other people settling here. How could God make such horrible people?