Guyana beckons and people are responding

Sep 06, 2009 Features / Columnists, My Column

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Every time I come to the United States on vacation I run into hundreds of Guyanese, all of whom want to know about the situation back home. It is not that they are unaware, because if I attempt to talk about the current issues they would duly inform me that they either read it on the internet or that they got a call from back home.
More often than not they would read the newspapers but they would also get calls from home or they would call. Sometimes they are even more informed than some of us in Guyana.
For example, I happened to be on line when Canada-based Guyanese informed me that the Ambassador of the United States in Guyana had packed his bags and had left suddenly. The fellow told me that the man had resigned after serving just over a year.
When Mr John Jones came to Guyana he granted me the first interview. We talked about a range of things, including Roger Khan. We also talked about his children. However, it was his job that I found most interesting.
He had come during the final months of the George Bush administration, and unlike the average Guyanese, he recognized that President Bush was his boss as would be the new President a few months later. He respected the leadership of his country and this had nothing to do with his political views.
He is gone and I am surprised that the local media have not gone after the embassy to ascertain the reason for his departure. I remember during a luncheon he hosted he spoke about the sudden departure of another embassy staffer. This one had received a threat which the embassy decided to take very seriously. I am now left to wonder whether Ambassador Jones received a threat.
But back to the Guyanese in the United States, particularly those in the metropolitan area. All are staunch Guyanese. I asked a few about the impact of crime reports and their decision to avoid Guyana. To a man (and woman) all said that they live in a society where there is more crime.
They also said that when their relatives call, in rare cases would these relatives be a victim of crime. The fact is that crime does not really touch most of the Guyanese with whom I spoke.
Last year, more than a few expressed the fear that Rondell ‘Fine Man’ Rawlins was still at large and was still wreaking havoc. They were mortally afraid of him given his ability to strike anywhere. I was here when he died and suddenly I heard people talking about going home for Christmas. The records would show that they kept their promise.
In fact, many are planning to come again because of the good time they had. All compared Christmas in Guyana to Christmas in the United States. They said that it was like chalk to cheese.
The common thread in the conversation, though, is the absence of quality medical care. One dialysis facility, to them is grossly inadequate. They also have little confidence in the doctors who they say fail to deliver accurate diagnoses.
This may not be true but they swear on their relatives back home. Quite a few have had relatives who died and they blame the death on poor medical facilities.
My mother lives out here and my sisters, while not averse to having her go to Guyana from time to time, would always insist that at the first sign of any ailment, I should rush their mother back to the United States. It is as if she is their mother alone.
But the medical problem, in their eyes, has nothing to do with their collective decision to return to Guyana when their productive years are over. I understand that it is the same with those living in Canada and in England.
I have met many who are either seeking property in Guyana or who are improving on their homes. They all complain about the cold of winter and insist that the older they get the colder the place becomes. Guyana can rest assured that there is going to be a steady influx of remigrants, all of whom would be capable of sustaining themselves because of the social security they receive at the end of their stint.
In the two weeks I have been here I have been regaled about the various reunions. This weekend, and more so tonight, there are going to be more reunions than any Guyanese can imagine. There will be the joint QC/BHS reunion in Brooklyn, the Christ Church reunion, the East Ruimveldt Secondary School reunion, the Bartica reunion, Buxton reunion and a host of others. The Beteverwagting reunion was hosted last weekend.
Of course, rumours abound. On Wednesday, a man called to ask me whether the most recent millionaire—the Guyanese who won a mega jackpot had been killed in Guyana. I told him that this was not the case and he readily accepted my answer.
If the truth be told, reading the online edition of the newspapers I see nothing that would cause worry. There are the odd shootings and the muggings. But that’s about it.
I have found that many of my countrymen are moving to Atlanta, Georgia and to Florida; that many of them want to send their children back to Guyana for a proper education; that they are amazed that Guyanese women back home dress even better than their counterparts in the United States.
And Folkfest is kicking. It is a Guyana thing, a prelude to their either visiting Guyana or coming home for good. Crime reports are insignificant. I think everyone both at home and abroad knows this.

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