Deportees should not be blamed for social decline and crime increase

Apr 09, 2011 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I am a 33-year-old trying to survive in this social and economical system in Guyana… I left Guyana for the USA at a very young age and returned in 2006 at age 29 with no family here, no friends, no understanding of the countries social system, and no where to go.
I was treated like an out cast. And kept in the inhumane conditions at Brickdam police lockups for three days with no food, no shower, no phone call, not even a proper sleeping environment; it just was hell.
The lockup’s was not even conducive for an animal to be in. All I kept hearing is deportee welcome to the third world. To my surprise when I look to see who was making the remarks it was several police officers.
Before I arrived in Guyana my family inquired about the position and laws of Guyana concerning deportees. They where told that I did not committed any crime in Guyana, so there is no law allowing my detention.
Upon finding a place to stay I start wondering what will be my next move, I decided to look for a job since I did not come with a lot of currency.
It‘s only upon reading the newspapers and watching television I realised that I am at a disadvantage. When I heard and read what the police and government was saying about people of my stature. There was a major stigma attached to us which was so far from the truth.
The Government of this country only use deportees as scapegoats for there stupid indiscretions that they make.
From personal research, Guyana’s crime wave started to increase dramatically in 2002, and the government started to blame it on the increase of deportees being sent back to Guyana from different parts of the world.
But it is of my unbiased opinion that the reasons for the crime increase within the social system is due to corruption, misuse of power by governmental officials, and as well as the lack of stable economical opportunities within the country.
In my enlighten opinion the government designed a system to keep down deportees, there is no Equal Opportunity Planning (EOP) for us, there is only the blame game.
Let’s be sensible when it comes to 2002, the UN under the country’s report would have stated the country’s deportee problem, but it wasn’t stated because there isn’t any.
If Guyana could get an independent party to conduct an investigation into the allege deportee so call criminal under world they would certainly find contradictive evidence to disclaim what was being stated by governing officials.
The prison system in Guyana is made up of several different profiles of criminal. If there was a proper system the government would know that if they were to check into the prison system they would find that fewer criminals are deportees. So where are the supporting details?
By no means am I excusing deportees in anyway, because there are some that do come back from abroad and continue there criminal activities.
The reality of the matter is that those like me are here in Guyana just trying to uphold the social status quo.
The word deportee in its self has become a mark. It means that you are a high profile criminal because of the first world criminal knowledge that has been obtained during the time that the individual was abroad.
For the longest time I have been hearing about a programme that Guyana and the USA were developing for deportees, but to the best of my knowledge there has not been anything implemented as yet.
Because of the damaging reputation of deportees in Guyana they continue to encounter several social problems such as obtaining lawful employment.
I came to Guyana with my college transcript and degree thinking that it would help me in my transition, but it is just has if I didn’t come with anything because of how Guyana society looks down on deportees, especially when it comes to securing a job.
While in search of lawful employment I applied to several prestigious companies but was given the cold shoulder, don’t get me wrong, at first they where very impressed with my credentials, but like always the million-dollar question was brought up. With these kinds of papers no one comes back to Guyana in search of work, so what brings you back here? Me being truthful I let them know of the situation, but I was still discriminated against.
We (deportees) who are in search of social acceptance are the ones society should be trying to work with and the ones who are rebellious to social order should also be dealt with accordingly. There are two sides to almost everything in this world so why should it be any different when it comes to us. There are ones who strive for change and the ones who believe that change will come to them.
Most deportees left Guyana at a very young age and return at a reasonable big age. Most deportees just need social acceptance which may include jobs and mental adaptation programmes to help them back into society properly.
Most deportees are very educated regardless of their criminal background, in most cases the criminal aspect of their lives did not develop in their early years so they would have had the opportunity to obtain a sound primary and secondary education that can be utilized in their reintegration process here in Guyana.
Mr. Editor I just hope and pray that my letter may shed some light on the subject of deportees here in Guyana and that the future would be brighter for others who will be arriving here in Guyana.
Deportee (Kasket)

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