…from the State
The word “loot” entered the English language directly (and unchanged) from the Hindi dialect the British encountered in North India in the late 18th Century – as they ravished the fabled wealth Marco Polo had described five centuries before. Since that time, even though “looting” became more associated with lower class lumpen elements grabbing as much as they can literally get their hands on during civil unrest, some folks still enter Government “service” to keep up the British original practice!
And, of course, this brings us to Guyana where the PNC – who succeeded the British (through the latter’s connivance!) – even IMPROVED on the latter’s looting of our dear land. Who says Burnham didn’t accomplish anything?! One way the Brits looted India was to transfer all the means by which the natives made money, into their hands. THEY collected all the profits while the natives did all the work. Here, Burnham, for instance, saw those persons owning all those shops – which sold mostly imported goods – and getting rich.
So what he did was pass a law transferring all importation into an “External Trading Bureau”. This then passed on the imported goods for distribution to the weirdly named “Knowledge Sharing Bureau”! Controlled by PNC party members, this tactic ensured that shopkeepers were squeezed dry and profits went to PNC supporters. He insisted that he was doing this to encourage his policy of “buy local”!! Sneaky, but effective!
But at least he offered an EXCUSE for his looting. With Granger and his PNC crew over the last five years, they just out and out looted the nation’s wealth in full view of the country. Just like the lumpen elements who’d run down the streets with fridges on their backs – hauled from stores they’d broken into! Take for instance, the infamous case of the Durban Park “Jubilee Stadium”. How come over $600 million is still unaccounted for and no one was prosecuted – even the principals of the company that pulled off the heist in broad daylight??
But let’s not go through the litany of steals during the five years: the last five months are enough. While most of us thought Granger and the PNC were just desperately trying to rig their way back into power (to loot), seems some of their operatives were hedging their bets – and getting in their licks before they were kicked out!
And this explains the greatest land heist since the native Indians in the US gave away Manhattan to the Dutch for $26!!
Here, the lands were simply signed away by NICIL to PNC operatives and these were flipped to sleazy businessmen for hundreds of millions!!
…even from inside police stations!
The story that over 150 firearms – mostly handguns – that were lodged in police custody – either voluntarily by citizens or seized from the “bad guys” – have now disappeared does not surprise your Eyewitness. While, of course, he’ll acknowledge that not EVERY Guyanese cop is bent, he’s convinced that MOST aren’t straight! You only have to experience some of them just out of Training School, shaking folks down at random traffic stops, to appreciate this is a police CULTURE thing!!
Now, when Granger took over in 2015, he PERSONALLY vowed to straighten out the GPF. He replaced the entire top brass after concocting some “cock and bull” story of an uninvestigated assassination attempt – which his one-man CoI pronounced on. He then said that the officers he promoted to head the Force were “incorruptible”.
Well, the exposure on the missing guns is only the TIP of an iceberg that has surfaced since the Police shakeup.
The new Govt should set up its own CoI to examine what went down.
…ab initio
Your Eyewitness returns once more to the blatant contempt the PNC has for the Guyanese people by calling for an investigation into how Raphael Trotman signed the Stabroek Block oil PSA.
The PPP has to call their bluff!
