It is not a “witch-hunt”, but a “thief-hunt”

– Lone protestor calls for sacking of more senior officials

By Desilon Daniels

Tameshwar Beekham protests in front of the Office of the Presidency

He trudged from one location to another, his bright yellow placards tucked away under his arm. He was alone, the sole protestor at different locations, but he did not care; he had something to say and he was going to say it, regardless of who supported him or not.

His name is Tameshwar Beekham and he turned out yesterday at the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) office, the Police Headquarters and the Office of the Presidency (OP) to protest against what he calls rampant corruption in Guyana.

During an interview with Kaieteur News, Beekham explained that he believed that senior officials from a number of government agencies needed to be immediately removed. He said that many of these officials were “shady” and unprofessional characters who were placed in positions of power due to their links with members of the previous administration, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

He added that persons who were in high positions but had no real sort of qualifications or experience needed to be replaced.

“This is a new government, a changed government, and we need to get rid of the crooks. If we don’t, we’re going to have a tug of war in our nation,” Beekham stressed.

He further emphasised that while removing officials from their posts would be deemed a witch-hunt by several persons, he expressed the belief that it was not a witch-hunt, but a “thief-hunt”. He further said that if outright termination is not an option, sending persons on leave while investigations are carried out is a satisfactory alternative.

“It’s time the country starts a new phase of its history,” Beekham said, “If we remove the corruption, it will trickle right down to the regular man in Guyana. It’ll go a long way for everyone,” he added.

But while much of his focus was on the perceived wrongdoing under the PPP administration, Beekham said that he will be watching the new government closely, perhaps even more closely than he did with the PPP. He clarified that he needed to ensure that the name of the coalition government, APNU+AFC, was not similarly tarnished like that of the PPP.

SHAKEUPS NEEDED

The DPP’s Office and the Police Headquarters were just two agencies Beekham believes need major shakeups. While he protested in front of OP, he indicated that it was only to air his grievances with other agencies.

While countless persons were heading to work or now preparing for it, Beekham had already made himself comfortable at the Police Headquarters in Eve Leary. He was there for quite some time before he caught the attention of the police officers within the compound.

According to Beekham, he was approached by some senior officers who stopped his protesting and informed him that he was being requested by Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud. Though he was unable to meet Persaud, Beekham said he was nonetheless allowed to express his grievances. He added that he shared that he wanted Persaud to be removed from his post as Commissioner of Police.

Beekham said that each year billions of dollars are spent on security yet Guyana has a disturbing crime situation. He expressed satisfaction with the reception received by the police who allowed him to openly share his opinion.

However, he said, he was not similarly satisfied at the DPP’s Office.

According to Beekham, he was not long at that location before he was asked to stop his protesting and move to another location.

“They told me I couldn’t protest at the office,” he said.

He expressed the belief that the DPP’s office was not functioning the way it ought to. According to him, there was no real equity in the way persons were being sent before the courts.

“From what I remember, a rich man has never gone to prison; a millionaire has not been prosecuted yet,” Beekham stated. Instead, he said, the underprivileged youths of Guyana were the ones feeling the brunt of the judicial system. He added that the system was victimizing persons in disadvantaged socio-economic positions.

Beekham is no stranger to the judicial system. About a decade ago, he was found guilty on a number of counts of fraud. However, the former customs officer explained that he turned his life around by finding religion and now understands just how wrong his past decisions were.

With his insight into corruption, Beekham is adamant that it must be rooted out. The issues that must be tackled are mismanagement of funds, misuse of power, narcotics trafficking, money laundering and judicial killings, Beekham said.

He further called for President David Granger to establish a Commission of Inquiry to look into these matters. He said too that special attention should be paid to Guyana’s administration under former president Bharrat Jagdeo.

“I’m going to continue protesting. I’m hoping to get a job in Georgetown so I can protest more aggressively,” he said.