Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

Minister Rohee should come clean about his visa cancellation

Jan 03, 2013 Letters

 

DEAR EDITOR,
In the mountainous outpouring of the opposition in their exposure of the lack of tenability of Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, not one word was mentioned about his American visa cancellation in 2004/05. Even in Italy under the comical figure of Silvio Berlusconi, that Minister would have lost his job if he couldn’t offer a logical explanation.
The sane mind knows that it cannot be a petty mistake on the part of the State Department in the US, because if it was, why for seven years has Rohee not explained his visa nightmare that prevented him from traveling while he was Minister of International Trade?
Let us say that it is a petty mistake, then Rohee is a very unsuitable candidate for high post, because he put his country, his government and himself in a sordid, messy light, since a minor infraction is interpreted in the worst possible way because the Minister is reticent.
I return to the sane mind. The normal mind will not accept that the US Government made a little mistake, because Rohee himself is unwilling to say so, and this is because he knows that his diplomatic and non-immigrant visas were cancelled while the US investigated him over a period of six months
These facts should also go into any decision by the opposition and the country to continue their acceptance of him as minister dealing with internal security. As for his security programme, I think the AFC and APNU made a mistake and they should retract their rejection of working with Rohee’s security programme by insisting that their acceptance of Rohee’s new security overhaul of the police force should be a part of the fundamental restructuring of governance in Guyana, the terrible nature of which is killing this country.
The AFC and APNU should immediately seek dialogue with the PPP leadership (not government, the former controls the latter as we saw with the mistreatment of Ralph Ramkarran) and tell the PPP that in no uncertain terms can they accept the proposals of police reform, unless there are similar reforms in local government structure, in the Constitution, UG, and the immediate implementation of the constitutional bodies like the Human Rights Commission.
Watch and see who will be on the civilian oversight body for the police force. This columnist was told a list has been drawn up already.
The following were some the names I was told that were identified at a meeting at Freedom House on Sunday, December 16:- Keith Burrowes, Ramesh Dookhoo, Vic Oudit, Clifford Reis, Gerry Gouveia, John Willems, Dr. Paloma Mohammed of UG, Dr. Marlene Cox of UG, Mr. Al Creighton of UG, Dr. Gobind Ganga of the Bank of Guyana, Mr. Ron Robinson, Mrs. Annette Arjoon-Martins, Ms Carol Sooba – the Town Clerk, Ms. Jocelyn Dow of the WPA, Ms. Vanda Radzig of Red Thread, journalist George Barclay, Mr. Peter Persaud of TUF, Mr. John Tracey of GBTI, fashion designer Sonia Noel, Dr. Bhiro Harry, Dr. Gancham Singh, attorney Sase Gunraj and Mrs. Merle McCormack.
Those were some of the names given to me by my source that were recommended to be on the civilian oversight board.
I mention these names without any comment. But as an analyst you have to ask why people like Chris Ram, Barrington Braithwaite, Dr. Melissa Ifill, Sherlina Najeer, Vidyaratha Kissoon (no relative), and others like them that those in the opposition feel that they can rely on to do a professional job, never had a mere mention?
Frederick Kissoon

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 20th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Rutherford gets big payday from Gujarat Titans at IPL 2025 Mega Auction; Shepherd, Powell snapped up by RCB and KKR, respectively

Rutherford gets big payday from Gujarat Titans at IPL 2025 Mega...

Nov 26, 2024

  SportsMax – Guyanese hard-hitting left hander Sherfane Rutherford will get the opportunity to shine on T20 franchise cricket’s biggest stage once again after being picked up by the...
Read More
Roach and Seales star as West Indies close in on Antigua Test victory

Roach and Seales star as West Indies close in on...

Nov 26, 2024

Delroy Tyrrell continues to excel at Oneonta State University

Delroy Tyrrell continues to excel at Oneonta...

Nov 26, 2024

Ramdass Royals Crowned Champions of the Inaugural Windies Masters Cricket Extravaganza

Ramdass Royals Crowned Champions of the Inaugural...

Nov 26, 2024

KFC Guyana distance self from delayed payment of GFF Elite League prizes

KFC Guyana distance self from delayed payment of...

Nov 26, 2024

Ravens and Royals ready for epic Elite 16 final showdown

Ravens and Royals ready for epic Elite 16 final...

Nov 26, 2024

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]