Guyana needs to encourage its highly skilled overseas-based people to return

Feb 24, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
Columnist, Mr. Kissoon’s piece, “I did not and will not run away from my country. The three Musketeers did” (Kaieteur News February 22, 2010) was utterly distasteful.
Mr. Kissoon is a very cantankerous writer. Sometimes he lands very well when he deals with issues of crime in Guyana, but on other issues he has a penchant for writing things that turn out to be false or nonsensical. His column of February 22, 2010 is a good illustration of the latter.
In his column Mr. Kissoon accuses Mr. Ravi Dev as being a propagandist working out of the Office of the President. This is a cheap shot by Kissoon. Now that Mr. Dev has made it crystal clear that he has never been employed by the Office of the President or with the PPP (Kaieteur News, February 23, 2010), Kissoon should be man enough and apologise for his falsehood in this particular case.
No doubt there is political corruption in Guyana and morally questionable individuals holding high political office, but Kissoon’s rant against Prem Misir, Randy Persaud, Ravi Dev and by extension all those who left Guyana and returned to the country is the most retrograde argument one can make.
More people should return to Guyana to serve the country. This should be a national policy like other countries have. We all know that without the monies and barrels shipped from America, Canada and other places Guyana would be worst off. The very education sector that Mr. Kissoon is part of has benefitted considerably from overseas help.
What is unfortunate is that the government uses these overseas help to its own advantage. But that is another story.
Do I agree with the appointment and functioning of Prem Misir? Hell no! Do I agree with the actions of Leslie Ramsammy? Hell no! But, does that mean that people who have left Guyana ran away and dumped their country? No! The majority of people went to other countries in search of better education and work, and did not turn their backs on Guyana.
Without overseas Guyanese support several of the orphanages that are being run in Guyana would not have been possible. Several schools would have fallen apart. Several humanitarian efforts were spearheaded by overseas-based Guyanese.
Several people who educated themselves overseas have returned to Guyana and have done things that deserve national awards. Swami Aksharananda, a highly qualified person and quite distinguished is a good example. He built the Saraswati Vidya Niketan High School in CI, West Coast Demerara. Ravi Dev himself has done extra-ordinary service to Guyana and his work documenting the riots of January 1998; his advocacy for a Peace and Reconciliation Commission; for a federal structure of government; for a University in Berbice; for a bridge across the Berbice River; for the rights of sugar workers are indeed very remarkable.
Mr. Peter Ramsaroop has also returned to Guyana and has made significant contribution to not only the AFC but to a new thinking in the country. Guyana would be much poorer if people like Mr. CN Sharma did not return to the country.
Mr. Sharma has been a hero to many people for his pioneering role in TV broadcasting. Mr. Kissoon, concepts such as elected dictatorship run counter to the idea of democracy, but worst than that is to castigate people who left Guyana to pursue their education or other dreams as unpatriotic. Guyana needs to encourage all their highly skilled people to return to move the country forward.
Rishideo Ramlakan

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Guyana needs to encourage its highly skilled overseas-based people to return

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