Guyana Observer News

THE OPPOSITION IS JUSTIFED IN ITS FEARS OVER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A GUYANA CIA

Wednesday, 17 February 2010

Dear Editor,

Mike Meyers, in his letter captioned "CIA office to be used for spying on opposition parties a figment of their imaginations", succeeds in adding more weight to the suspicions of those critical of the burgeoning hegemony in Guyana, than it does to his intended purpose to lull them into a sense of false security. The presentation, but for the variance of subject matter, conforms to a standard template of which we have become quite familiar. They always appear under an assortment of nomenclatures whenever political skullduggery is in the making. They are, in effect, defensive strokes with an elaborate follow through designed to divert the attention of the spectator from the inadequacy of the batting side.
Mr. Meyers describes opposition fears that this so called CIA will be used for the political benefit of the PPP as quote, "a quantum leap from clear and concise logic to absurd postulations". Either this fellow has been away from Guyana over the last twenty years, or his perspective is seriously hampered by convenient bouts with amnesia. Because there is an infinite array of logical reasons behind the fears of opposition elements in Guyana. In a nation where, the disposition of justice, the rule of law, all of those principles that were enacted into our laws and constitution to guarantee an equality of experience for all, have become selective conveniences over the past 17 years, opposition elements would be idiots not to be apprehensive about how this CIA would function. But that, of course, is the expectation and hopes of Mike Meyers.

Mr. Meyers makes references to foreign intelligence agencies like Scotland Yard, the FBI etc, and postulates that the functional operation of this CIA would be parallel to how these agencies operate. Not only is this the most ludicrous of assertions, it insults the intelligence of every functionally literate, compos mentis, and objectively inclined individual. Guyana is not like the the US and the UK. There are checks and balances in those nations that are designed to prevent abuses of those agencies, and some still filter through despite these stringent oversights. Guyana is an elected dictatorship in which the opposition are mere ornamental presences in terms of decision making, when it comes to policies that affect people's lives, and their economic, social and political security. There has not been been one meaningful decision or policy that has been enacted over the past 17 years in which the contributions of the opposition have had an influence. That means that the significant proportion of Guyanese who vote for or support that opposition have absolutely no say or input in the arrangements and circumstances under which they exist. Again, they would be idiots not to be fearful of another intrusive tool that is about to be imposed upon them by ruling elements that, an abundance of historical experiential evidence suggests, are alien and external to their claims and concerns.

Let's briefly examine some historical circumstances that Meyers ignores in his conclusions that the opposition in Guyana has no need to be fearful of the establishment of a secret policing and intelligence agency. These Orwellian Animal Farm historical replicas continue to amaze and stupefy by the manner in which their perspectives and views have become echoes of the postulations and interpretations of his porcine revolutionary characters, after they ran the farmer off and got control of the farm.

(1) A former Minister of Home Affairs was, regardless of the kangaroo commission decision, involved with a secret unofficial intelligence agency that identified people to be killed. The whistle blower who made public what was going on was assassinated. The Minister's excuse for his interaction with criminal elements was that he was gathering information beneficial to Law Enforcement. The section of the Law that allows civilians to assist Law Enforcement places limitation on such participation. The position of Minister of Home Affairs is civilian in nature, and does not permit the occupier of that office to encroach on the functions and duties of duly sworn Law Enforcement Officers. That he felt comfortable using that excuse to explain away his involvement in criminal acts is indicative of the level of dumbing down that our society has experienced over the past decade or thereabouts.

(2) A twice convicted fugitive felon from US justice, and admitted international trafficker in narcotics, took out a full page ad in the newspaper stating that he was involved in Law Enforcement, at the same time he was acquiring wealth through his nefarious activities. He was released from legal sanctions after he was arrested with arms and ammunition, and sophisticated phone monitoring equipment by Army intelligence. It is quite clear that the equipment was also handed back to him to continue his activities. He tapped into the conversation of the Nation's Police Chief, and the regime in power exhibited less concern over this criminal's ability to monitor the conversation of its Chief of Police, than in the mundane conversation itself. The fact that a political decision was subsequently made to disband or reduce the effectiveness of that Army Intelligence Agency really requires no deep pondering to find illumination.

(3) Until there were revelations in a Brooklyn US criminal court that Roger Khan was behind the assassination of Ronald Waddell, there was little effort on part of the state and its relevant agencies to investigate his brutal slaying. No rewards were ever offered for information relative to the circumstances surrounding his death. Evidence was produced in the same Brooklyn Court that linked a high official in the Government with the acquisition of the high tech equipment used by Roger Khan to track and murder people.

(4) The PPP Government continues to exhort Law Enforcement to go after bottom house drug dealers who might belong to a specific demographic groupings, but complete ignore drug barons that are continuously and embarrassingly being arrested and prosecuted by the DEA. The discovery of large airstrips in Guyana and narcotics found in lumber and timber exported to other nations have elicited Nelson eye responses from the political state, corroborating the impression that justice in Guyana, in its administration and application, is selectively blind to the criminal operations of certain segments of the population.

(5) How can anyone in the opposition not be frightened and terrified of a new secret intelligence agency when the state display blatant selectivity in response to wrong doing on part of officials in existing Law Enforcement Agencies? A Senior police Officer is rewarded with career advancement after being caught on tape exhorting bribe from a suspected drug felon. His excuse that he was carrying out an under cover operation that he alone knew about is as credible as a former Minister of Home Affairs incredible and ludicrous assumption that his civilian position permitted him to encroach on the legal turf of Law Enforcement officers. That there is nothing in the Law or Police act that provides a foundation for these convenient flights of fancies graphically illustrates why many are justified in being fearful of additional politically controlled legally empowered policing agencies.

In conclusion, until and unless there are credible investigations that lead to resolutions of these and other like issues, the opposition should spare no effort in opposing the establishment of any new security agency. The fact that the PPP regime did not publicly condemn extra judicial lynchings while they were in progress, makes light of the torturing of demographic elements of our population, and clearly, by example after example, demonstrate that politics and ethnicity plays a major role in how it reacts to complaints of Law Enforcement abuses, reinforces the concerns of the opposition that any new agency will be used for political persecution and harassment. There are no safeguards under the current political and parliamentary system to prevent that occurring. The fact that the President, the ruling political regime and its acolytes and pundits give this assurance is in no way satisfactory. They are, in effect, demanding that we believe and trust them in spite of what is before our lying eyes, and in our recent and continuous historical experiences.

Robin Williams

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