There are more revelations than in the Bible

Aug 16, 2009 Features / Columnists, My Column

---

Revelations are not only made in churches or in the courts. More often than not, they are made in the pages of the newspapers. Just these past two weeks there were revelations about supposed Government involvement in the purchase of spy equipment; revelations about excessively high payments for contracts; and of course revelations about the people now selected to represent West Indies at the highest level of cricket in South Africa.
There was Robert Simels, the man who started to represent self-confessed drug accused, Shaheed ‘Roger’ Khan, and a United States snitch who forever more, unless he decides to forego protective custody for himself and family, will never be seen or heard from again.
Dr Leslie Ramsammy, the man at the centre of some of the allegations, already had heart concerns. He needed to undergo surgery and earlier in the year, there were reports that he had gone to seek further medical attention. He later said that he did not.
Suffice it to say that he has not collapsed under this onslaught which seems far from over. I had thought that there were to be an investigation into the use of the spy equipment and the bugging of the office of the Police Commissioner during the tenure of Winston Felix. Two days ago I learnt that the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company had indeed started to mount an investigation but had to forego any plan because the then Commissioner Felix reportedly said that he wanted no investigation.
It was the same with the laptop and the spy equipment. A lawyer who is also a law enforcer directed me to the laws. Lo and behold, there is no law that prevents an individual from listening to or monitoring the conversation of another on telephone.
The problem arises if someone aids that person in doing so. There was an investigation of sorts but that got nowhere. Perhaps we have come to the end of the saga of the spy equipment.
Guyana has no law that prohibits the importation of such equipment but the United States has laws that govern their export. The United States, therefore, is expected to investigate how the equipment got to Guyana. Right now, that country is more interested in the piece of equipment in the custody of Robert Simels. That interest may still see Simels languishing in jail.
The next issue has to do with the contracts awarded for certain infrastructure works. Kaieteur News, after talking with some builders and contractors, concluded that many of these contractors were overpriced.
The investigations were not taken kindly by members in the administration and by some of the contractors. All of a sudden some people began to conclude that Kaieteur News decided to investigate these contracts to bring down the government. It boggles the mind that, at the slightest inkling that the government might have been at the wrong end of a deal, people would jump on that which exposed the condition.
It was not surprising that Kaieteur News suddenly found that certain services were withdrawn. There is anger at the level of the Ministry of Agriculture and talk that Kaieteur News is attacking the government.
Suffice it to say that there is nothing wrong in attacking a government. It happens all over the world. Even Barack Obama is not exempt. He got flak for comments he made in support of a friend who got arrested for breaking into his own home.
However, Obama was big-hearted enough to invite the very people who criticised him and made his peace. All is now well.
To his credit, the Minister of Agriculture did make an attempt to open up visits to the contracts but he stopped short because he felt that too much was being exposed. That is a pity because there will be even more investigations and criticisms.
The final revelation is that West Indies cricket is hell-bent on destruction. As a boy growing up, I always heard people warning about cutting one’s nose to spoil one’s face. Surely the West Indies Cricket Board has a grouse with the senior players, so rather than seek to play for God and country, the Board has decided to just play. Every country selects its best team but the West Indies is just selecting its worst team.
I am convinced that for the West Indies Board, it matters not that the fans are bleeding, that they want to see their team win; it matters not that Bangladesh, the weakest team in the cricketing world, came here and trounced us; it matters not that our best team would have disposed of Bangladesh and perhaps started a winning streak.
Bangladesh left and continued their winning streak. Just to maintain my sanity I give the West Indies Board a stiff middle finger and would not be glued to the television, except to see the young Travis Dowlin from my club try to make something of his career.

---

---