Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 12, 2014 News
By Ralph Seeram
She was due to fly out the country the next day to Canada. She was very distraught, not because she was leaving her parents, siblings or her country, she was worried because she did not have a tax exit certificate to leave the country, a valued piece of document back then, a document used by the then PNC government to control its citizens, especially critics of the government.
This was way back in the 70’s at the height of PNC power. I recall my late dear friend Guyanese Folklorist, Wordsworth Mc Andrew, telling me how he had to leave Guyana illegally to Suriname by way of Springlands, and then take a flight to the United States. The problem was that ordinary citizens who had no political interest were also caught up in that control, like my friend whom I mentioned at the start of this column.
It became a revenue stream (bribes) for those who worked in the tax department. Then as it is now, is who you know. I called on a friend who was in charge of the branch in New Amsterdam and he personally went after hours to the office and wrote out the tax exit. What the young lady could not achieve in weeks was done with a phone call.
That was back in the PNC days in power, but one has to ask if anything has changed. Today we see the same trend emerging under the PPP government. It is using the POLICE POWERS OF THE STATE to control and or silence critics of the government, including this newspaper. The PPP is doing the same thing the PNC did, but has taken it to a higher level.
The barrage of frivolous libels lawsuits against this newspaper, coupled with the disclosure of efforts through the GRA, to “break the camel back” proves that the PPP is even worse than the PNC, when it comes to vindictiveness.
The exposure of emails between GRA head Khurshid Sattaur, Attorney General Nandlall and former President Bharrat Jagdeo should drive fear into citizens. Some would conclude that those in a position of power are using their position to blackmail critics of the government.
I have not read any clear denial by any of the involved parties of the authenticity of the emails. Sattaur made a feeble attempt at denial but claimed at the same time that his emails were hacked. Mr. Sattaur cannot have both.
A word of advice to Sattaur, politicians have no loyalty. He will find out that when “push come to shove” the politicians will him leave him “high and dry to bear he own chafe”. As the old saying goes “push gat push back”.
One of the problems with politicians is that they forget that they are servants of the people; they forget that they were employed (elected) by the people to be guardians of their civil rights, their hard earned tax dollars and so forth. They are employees of citizens and as such citizens have a right to know how they spend their money, have a right to question their actions and most important a RIGHT to CRITICIZE them if they feel they are not doing their job as employees of the people.
Today, some in the PPP government have been in power for so long that they have lost sight of this fact. They think that they are the boss and the people are their underlings; they feel they don’t have to report to the people, as if the people are their subjects.
I have said before, if you want to live at taxpayers’ expense you are subject to their scrutiny, whether it is through the media or otherwise. Apparently this has escaped those in power.
Speaking about the media, and to support my contention, this week, PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, who also happened to be the Minister of Home Affairs, called for the establishment of a “media regulatory body” to monitor the media. Does anybody have any doubt what is the meaning here, or what the intention for such a body is? It is to suppress dissent, stifle criticism of the government and control what the media can say.
Rohee is a reporter’s dream. Every time he opens his mouth, the PPP is subject to more criticism. He is a public relations nightmare for the PPP.
Rohee wants swift action to establish a regulatory board for the media, my my, why the rush, because according to him “the media escapes scrutiny due to the absence of a formal mechanism to judge its performance and to impose sanctions in cases where there are infractions”.
Mr. Rohee is apparently not aware that there are mechanisms in place for media infractions. They are called libel laws, and the PPP or its Government officials have been using if not abusing them as can be seen from the thirteen libel suits filed by Winston Brassington at one go against this newspaper.
Rohee claims that sections of the media have strayed from the fundamentals of journalistic norms and practices, and are providing fodder for the political opposition, translation Kaieteur News has been exposing corruptions and other irregularities by the government which is being used by the opposition.
Here is another piece of nonsense attributed to him; the media (meaning Kaieteur News) has contributed to the lowering of the country’s cultural standards. Is this guy for real? Media lowering the cultural standards of the country? What a joke. If we want to talk of lowering the cultural standards of the country, Rohee should start within the ranks of Ministers and government officials including him and he will see who really lowered the cultural standards of the Guyanese society? I can go on more about Rohee but I think readers get my point.
Rohee can also be dangerous, he is the Minister of Home Affairs responsible of internal security. He has police powers of the state, and some allege that he used it against them. Only this week a reader by way of Facebook reminded me that he was harassed by the police a few years ago because he “bad mouthed” the government abroad. On his return he was detained unnecessarily, and had charges filed against him. They were dismissed. He reminded me that I wrote criticizing the government actions against him then.
Those in government and officials who use their position to victimize critics and opponents of the government are working on the premise that the PPP will be in power forever, well strange things happen in politics.
Should APNU and the AFC join forces not only to force new elections, but successful in winning the next elections as one party, well we will see a lot of exits at the airport by politicians.
You just pay your G$4000 now at the airport for your tax exit, which brings me to another question, why one has to pay to leave a country? Just asking?
Ralph Seeram can be reached email: [email protected] and Facebook
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
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