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Jun 08, 2014 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon
I heard the voice yelling out to me. The caller was behind the wheel of a large, parked sand truck. For me it was the usual, “Fredaay, Fredaay” thing so I just raised my hand in acknowledgement and continued listening to the music of Mike Hucknall on my discman.
The time was early Wednesday morning. The place was the National Park. When I did another lap and the same gentleman shouted at me again, I knew something was wrong. It was not the usual, “Fredaay, Fredaay” thing.
I went up to him. And a bizarre story was told to me. No matter how many of them I hear in my existence in Guyana, each tragic tale makes me sad and angry.
He said that a number of rural folks were left stranded at the immigration office. Their passport applications were rejected because the required birth certificate must not be more than six months old. I told him that I did not believe it, that it makes no sense and that he misunderstood what was said to him.
I saw the look in his eyes, one of helplessness. In a maudlin tone, he said, “Mr. Kissoon, please check it out for yourself.” I immediately rang my editor with a request to have KN research this madness. When I told Adam, I couldn’t believe what I heard. Adam said he cannot believe what I was telling him. The result of the inquiry was a KN article for June 5, captioned, “Strange birth certificate requirement for first time passport application.”
There was something I didn’t do in that conversation in the National Park that I always do when I meet with such complaints from East Indian folks. I have always done it in the past. I have been doing it a long time now. I would say to the complainant, “But you voted for them, you voted for these people who are doing this to you.” I have stopped that because it was insulting. I was insensitive all these years saying that stupid thing to people whose government was unfair to them and who were seeking the help of a human rights activist.
Now, do you believe that horribly stupid, terribly idiotic passport requirement?
Believe it or not, it is real and it came into existence on the 48th anniversary of this country achieving Independence
I would tell anyone in this world that my country has not progressed in the essential aspects of life after 48 years of Independence. But what lacerates my psyche is that my fellow Guyanese have not sought to confront this dangerous, violent insanity since President Hoyte lost power in 1992. Since then we have crept up to twenty-two years and the people of my beloved country sit helplessly and watch their limbs being torn from their bodies.
It lacerates my psyche when I see school teachers in their large numbers surrounding the Minister of Education in praise of a school system that is collapsing, if not collapsed already, and we’re in the 49th year of Independence. I want to take this opportunity to thank those brave teachers on May Day who, in full view of the Minister of Education at the GTU head office, took the public address system and thanked me and Leonard Craig for paying our Labour Day respect by visiting them.
It lacerates my psyche when I see the horror story that is UG today. I went to the autobiography launch of Yesu Persaud and met one of the Guyanese I admire intensely – Catholic nun, and history professor, Mary Noel Menezes. Once we meet, we talk of the death of UG.
I have a confession to make that was never put in print before today. And I swear on my parents’ grave it is true. If I was not removed from UG on January 18, 2012, after the contract was completed in August of that year, I was leaving UG. I couldn’t take it anymore. UG was damaging my soul.
My plan was to write two books, help my friend Malcolm Harripaul with his research for APNU and do full-time voluntary work in the office of the AFC. My soul, heart and mind couldn’t endure the death of UG any longer. I ask readers to believe me; this is true. The Government did a stupid thing by attracting bad publicity for terminating my contract. I was leaving in months’ time.
After 48 years of Independence, the tears of this nation are drowning this land. I look at my country and I see so vividly how Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin and other tyrants became so invincible. Their citizens voluntarily became their slaves.
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