Guyanese afraid to speak out on Nandlall issue

Nov 06, 2014 News 0

– fear victimization by government   

Even though the recorded conversation between Attorney General Anil Nandlall and a Senior Reporter from Kaieteur News is generating significant debate among Guyanese, many citizens appear reluctant and fearful about speaking publicly on the issues.
There is no doubt that the conversation which contained threats and several damning revelations by the Attorney General is being discussed in almost every office, beer garden and home.
However, not many are willing to voice their opinion overtly, choosing instead to hide behind the fear of victimization.
This was manifested when Kaieteur News sought to solicit comments from persons on the issue yesterday. It was clear that there was an open fear amongst many of the persons who were interviewed.
Nandlall, during a recorded conversation with senior Kaieteur News reporter Leonard Gildarie, hinted at an imminent attack against Kaieteur News publisher and staff. As a result, he advised the senior reporter to leave the organization as soon as possible, because it would be sooner rather than later that men with “weapons” would walk into the newspaper’s offices.
When asked his opinion on the Attorney General’s remarks which were aired publicly, one elderly gentleman declared, “You believe I want to take on y’all problems? I don’t care if you say it’s a Guyanese problem, is not me making problem with dem, is y’all. So deal with it. I have nothing to say, and imagine you want to put my picture with that too.”
Another Guyanese who claimed that he was a supporter of the administration said: “Imagine I use to fetch Navin Chandarpal and Shaik Baksh to UG. Now I am 74 and when I go to them to ask for things I am entitled to as a Guyanese, to fast forward the process, they always telling you to come back and they never want to help. I am an old PPP supporter and we all know what going on, but I am not going to say anything; my life in politics is over. I will die soon, so let them do what they want. We all have to answer to God.”
“Look, like you come here to give me problems or wah? I don’t have anything to say, especially about the government. I still got to slave here every day and they got to do what they got to do,” one vendor noted.
“Imagine you asking me about y’all and government problems. You know how much problems I got and I got to fix? Me ain’t going to nobody for help, so don’t ask me nothing,” one sand truck driver blurted out.
“I don’t want to say nothing. I don’t even read papers or watch news, because it never got nothing good inside,” one shopper said.
The situation of fear was further emphasized by a West Coast Demerara businessman who contacted this newspaper via telephone.
The man, who declined to give his name, expressed support for this newspaper against the Attorney General but refused to be quoted.
“We need a Kamla in this country,” he said, referring to the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who over the past 15 months has let go 15 senior government officials in her country over alleged malpractices.
However the man noted, “I can’t go public because of victimization. I am a businessman and I could lose my business.”