ON Wednesday night, December 14, 2011 at approximately 8pm about 100 persons (including many elderly women and a few very young children) of what appeared to my staff as supporters of the People’s National Congress and marshalled by persons wearing APNU jerseys, staged a noisy demonstration directly in front of Roraima Duke Lodge and the United States Embassy. Again on Thursday night December 15, 2011 they converged again in front of Duke Lodge and began chanting loudly this time at 11:30 pm. The hotel was occupied with diplomats, visiting business executives and tourists visiting our beautiful country.
I am extremely disappointed that party operatives under your leadership would be allowed to demonstrate such disrespect to me personally and more particularly, to stage such a display of public disorder knowing fully well the kind of guests that are housed at Duke Lodge and the obvious impressions that would be formed as a consequence of the noisy demonstration that went on for in excess of one hour directly in front of one of Guyana’s leading hospitality facilities.
I am personally at a loss to understand how this breakdown of relationship could even have been allowed to occur since my personal relationships with you ,Larry London, Joseph Harmon and many other of my army comrades are solid and intact. Please enlighten me if you are aware of the reason for this breakdown of our relationship.
I have no personal quarrel with the People’s National Congress; I served with pride in the Guyana National Service(GNS), an institution set up by the People’s National Congress government, and am still to this day 36 years after a strong advocate for the re-introduction of the GNS.
I was awarded a scholarship by the government of the People’s National Congress. I served in the Guyana Defence Force and felt privileged to have served alongside and under men such as you, whom I have developed a high level of respect for and have always held in great esteem.
I could have deserted Guyana like so many others have done, I could have taken my training and my talents away to help build other countries as so many other thousands of Guyanese did, after being trained using tax payers’ money under the government of the People’s National Congress. In fact, I stayed, used my training and talents to help in the development of our country, worked hard, created many jobs, saved many Guyanese lives risking my own life many times by flying medivac missions hundreds of miles deep into our jungles and into the mountains at night, while the rest of the nation slept peacefully.
Mr. David Granger, I understand clearly that neither you nor the People’s National Congress owe me anything, but quite frankly I never could have imagined I would live to see the day when my business and I would be personally targeted for harassment by supporters of the People’s National Congress, especially under your leadership and more particularly because of the personal relationship you and I have enjoyed. Nevertheless, the harassment has begun!.
The supporters of the People’s National Congress began their demonstrations in front of Duke Lodge and the Embassy of the United States of America by pretending to be followers of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour by singing religious songs, shouting my name out loudly just before they began pontificating and demonstrating a strange ritual in words and action. They began the breaking of eggs on the bridge of Duke Lodge, the breaking of coconuts and chanting repetitively and loudly, making sounds of horror with their vocal chords. Some of them were dressed in white gowns like the evil people of the Ku Klux Klan. They did not damage my property nor harm me or my staff, but it was unpleasant!
In closing, I want to remind you of the covenant you personally made with us when we met you in good faith in the Private Sector Commission’s boardroom. You promised us that everything you do and everything you stand for will be to enhance Public Safety, Public Security and National Unity. I ask you humbly, to consider carefully, whether the strategy by your party operatives of unleashing your party supporters to demonstrate in front of businesses at night really embraces your covenant.
CAPTAIN GERRY GOUVEIA
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Of Roraima Airways Inc.
Roraima Residence Inn
Roraima Duke Lodge
Roraima Executive Lounge
Roraima Crew Lounge
Arrowpoint Nature Resort
Roraima Aviation Security
Roraima Airline Handling Services
Roraima Airline Catering Services
Roraima International Travel Agency
Roraima Adventure Tours