My explanation of diaspora Guyanese who return
When I was courting my wife in 1978, we met for lunch often at one of the leading restaurants. One of the co-owners of that place who left in the late eighties is visiting. Over lunch, he said that he noticed a trend in my commentaries – I have something against the Guyanese in the diaspora who come back to work.
Before I could offer my simple explanation, he stated that these people have skills that the locals do not have. My immediate reaction was the acknowledgement of that fact but there were hundreds of “buts” after I said that one of which was “but they return and want to have the best.”
I told the once famous restaurateur that I have nothing against Guyanese returning to help us here; assistance the country needs. But they want top class jobs that should go to locals and which they have no right to possess and which I will campaign against with my academic and journalistic pen.
It would shock Guyanese to know that two diaspora economists who didn’t even visit us for one day during the 2015 election campaign requested the leadership of the Alliance For Change to consider them for Governor of the Bank of Guyana and CEO of GuySuCo, respectively.
The then leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan, can testify to this because both requests were made to him. One of these two gentlemen turned up at a birthday party of insurance magnate, Bish Panday, where Ramjattan was present to discuss the GuySuCo offer. Ramjattan was livid and asked how he got permission to enter the party.
These diaspora people left moons ago and after their working lives are over and arthritis, failing eyesight, failing health and failing happiness in the metropolitan cities overcame them, they come to Guyana and cream off the best jobs. This son of Guyana says this is unacceptable. This son of Guyana who stayed in his country with his wife and raised a family in his own country says this should not happen.
I make no apologies for this stance. I will not flinch one second from this position. If you gave your youth, skills and soul to another country for over thirty years and you want to come back and participate in nation-building in Guyana this, please do, and we are glad to have you. But don’t come back in your mid-sixties and want to be the head of this and the head of that.
We have people here who are qualified and who stayed and lived with a falling down and failing GPL, Georgetown Hospital, University of Guyana, GWI and countless other state sector places. Guyana should recognize their sacrifice.
I can rattle off my head people who got Commonwealth and Guyana Government doctoral scholarships in the late seventies and eighties and violated the terms of agreement to come back and serve. They never did. They live outside. Some are very big names and you would be shocked to know who they are.
When they reach sixty-five, we may see them back in Guyana, heading this and that state institution.
I have never backed down from speaking my mind. I say unapologetically that Dr. Mark Kirton should have been invited to take up the Vice Chancellor’s chair at UG. Kirton stayed and worked at UG for thirty years and his qualifications are good as other academics in the diaspora.
I told AFC parliamentarian, Michael Carrington that I could not support Dr. Vincent Adams for the post of Department of Energy. I do not support his headship of the EPA. Is there someone in Guyana in environmental sciences who is eligible?
Those who live in the US would know that the Americans a few years back changed the format for green card holders. They now have to spend a longer time in the US. It is simple reasoning – you have American residency then spend time in the country that gave you such status. I recall the heart specialist, Dr. Mahendra Carpen, who returned to Guyana four years ago having an exchange two weeks ago with a Guyanese who lives abroad and criticizes Carpen.
Carpen in his reply quite rightly stated that he lives and works in Guyana. Carpen’s whose wife is a Jamaican doctor, also lives and works in Guyana. She practises at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
I went to UG in the mid seventies with people who have long left Guyana. I was surprised to know that Dr. Hector Butts had returned after 2015 when he turned up at my gate. They are so many others like him. I wish them well but I embrace emotionally those who stayed.
GOOD EXAMPLE DR VINCENT ADAMS.
