Self-contempt…
…or eye-pass Eight young, male Indian nationals came into the country “without papers”. They were denied entry. Now If you Google the requirements for Indians desirous of entering Guyana, you’ll see it says “visa on entry for 30 days”…provided you have an invitation from a host. People turned up at the airport and said they’ll “host” the fellas. No go. They were herded like cattle on the Tarmac, then kept in holding cells and served food that violated their religious principles. How do you serve Hindus beef? They were held like this for over two weeks, and finally after a stand off with Insel Air – one of the few airlines with international connections to service – including grounding one of their flights, the men were finally expelled. Even the working girls “I is” Broomes had dragged from Bartica for not having papers weren’t expelled. The young Indian men had travelled through several countries and had return tickets, which the Immigration Dept. – now under the control of Winston “Yes Bannuh” Felix – at first denied. Now what’s going on here? India is an emerging world power that’s been helpful to our development since independence. Scholarships, the stadium, help with rice research, etc. Even before Independence it was a beacon to our independence movement. Burnham and Jagan had flown to India to meet their Prime Minister when the British suspended our constitution in 1953 and threw out the PPP Government. Just last November India gave all Guyanese a “visa on arrival” option into 9 of their major airports. And this is how we treat their nationals? Felix personally intervened into the matter…and gave the young men the bums’ rush. Why’d he do this? Was it the self-contempt that Franz Fanon wrote about so eloquently – and which is projected to folks that look like us? This Eyewitness can’t see Felix doing the same for some young people from, say, Poland. Their blond hair and blue eyes would’ve been their visa. Or was it eye-pass for people from India. India hasn’t quite overcome the “starving guts” image that the west has imprinted on our minds, has it? But this Eyewitness wants to know where the Indian High Commissioner was when all these outrages were committed on their nationals. Even now, we haven’t heard a squeak out of him. Felix would’ve contacted them, wouldn’t he? Surely the “Bannuh” wouldn’t eye-pass that worthy? Or did he “head him off”? Enquiring minds want to know.
…and crime escalation As far as this Eyewitness is concerned, the honeymoon period with the PNC-led APNU/AFC coalition Government is now over. At the country level, how can we be cooing sweet nothings while the economy implodes – and the Government embarks on a $60B withdrawal from commercial banks that’s sure to turn the economy into a black hole? At the personal level, cuss words are all that comes to mind when we’re confronted with the savagery and ubiquity of the crime upsurge. And cuss words aren’t honeymooning words. Now to rub salt into the wound, up comes the commander in chief who says that things are getting better. “Say what??!!” you blurt out. Well he’s correct if you use his measuring stick – the 2002-2008 crime spree following the jailbreak. Well, things ARE getting better in the Middle East – if you compare it with the U.S. carpet bombing during the Gulf War! So let’s get real, fellas. Your Eyewitness hasn’t called any names on this first day after the honeymoon period. But like Baldwin promised, it will be the fire next time!
….or nation time Back in the sixties, blacks in the U.S. used to greet each other with the phrase, “nation time”. Self-determination was the thing. Bulkan just mandated each Region to have its own flag. Is this a signal for “federalism time”?