Diplomatic Passports statement ridiculous - Trotman

Diplomatic Passports statement ridiculous – Trotman

Jul 21, 2010 News

Leader of the Alliance For Change Raphael Trotman says he is astounded at the Government’s recent position that the criterion for obtaining Diplomatic Passports in Guyana is a State Secret. He has dubbed the statement ridiculous.
Trotman was at the time responding to the answer with which he was provided in the National Assembly during its last sitting.
The Speaker had disallowed another question which Trotman had also tabled namely seeking to have the Government provide a list of persons that possess Diplomatic Passports.
This question was disallowed under the Parliamentary Standing Orders.
Trotman said that he asked his question in light of the fact that there were complaints that Diplomatic Passports were being granted to persons who in his view did not qualify, in that they were merely relatives and friends.
“For the Government to take up the position that the criterion is a State Secret, given that in any other country this information would be available is an insult.”
Trotman emphasized that what is even more frightening is the fact that if Members of Parliament could not obtain such information then what about the average man seeking information.
The AFC leader said that such information should be made available to the public and not be hidden behind the veil of “officialdom” which he opined paves the way for its abuse.
He said that the fact that the criterion for obtaining such a passport is a State Secret illustrates the need for the Freedom of Information legislation.
Although different countries may have some slightly different procedure by which they extend diplomatic courtesy to an International Diplomat, as a general rule, some of the benefits include: Red Carpet Treatment by international governments, No Tax Liability on income from outside the host country; when traveling, you may use the Diplomatic Channel at airports and will not be subject to time delaying and annoying customs checks and sometimes Diplomatic Immunity where under International Law the office and residence of diplomats are extended sovereign status, as such they are off limits to all governments and their agents among other privileges.
Trotman made reference to the fact that there can be certain abuses as it relates to the issuance of passports pointing to the recent alleged al Qaeda operative Adnan El Shukrijumah who was recently indicted along with four others on charges that link him and the others to a terror plot targeting areas in New York and a target in the United Kingdom. He was carrying a Guyanese passport.
A Diplomatic Passport is a passport which is issued to someone who must travel internationally on official state business. Diplomatic passports are classically given to diplomats and consuls when they are posted overseas, and they may be issued to other people within the government as well, depending on the circumstances. Diplomatic passports are usually a different colour from other types of passports, making them very easy to identify; black is a classic colour for diplomatic passports.

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Diplomatic Passports statement ridiculous – Trotman

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