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I have a feeling that this sad saga has another side – the untold one

May 08, 2014 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
It was with tear-filled eyes and utter amazement that I read of the recent tragic demise of four residents of East La Penitence, including a six-year-old child. However, in the midst of this sad situation, there are still a few troubling and puzzling areas of grave concern. To be honest my cranium is working overtime and failing to arrive anywhere near a rational or logical conclusion. Incidentally, do permit me to extend my sympathy to the grieving relatives and loved ones.
The young lady who returned to the U.S.A on Saturday now shines as the smarter one.  It is strikingly evident to the most myopic or moronic, that she is certainly no stranger to life in America and the availability of certain items. Nowhere in America is there a shortage of tonic, let alone SSS tonic. Ask even the most-recently arrived Guyanese and he or she will tell you, without batting an eyelid, or displaying a moment’s hesitation, that the said tonic is available in adequate quantities at every Korean supermarket from Flatbush Avenue to Jamaica, Queens, not to mention it being stocked at discount stores and pharmacies all over New York.
She knew, but then again does the average Guyanese feel that the FDA and the U.S. Immigration Department have not caught on to what we are all about, or what we have been about all the time.  From time immemorial, Guyanese have made a name for themselves in the annals of U.S. drug trafficking and illegal entry history. With that badge of honour safely tucked away, all we have been doing lately is trying our level best to remind America what we are made of, and that crime stays but time pays.
Now back to the tonic imbibers.  The newspapers state that the tonic was brought to the home by Barney, to be taken back to the U.S.A by the sister of one of the deceased. Now what or how much did Barney know?  From whom did he obtain the tonic, and who was the intended recipient in the U.S.A?  Who disclosed that the tonic was laced with pure cocaine? Was Barney privy to the fact that the tonic was never airborne?  Dead men, women or children tell no tales?
Barney certainly has a lot to tell, at least to save his soul from hell. Of more serious concern is the fact that the item was intended to be sent to the States. Then pray tell me, why did the friends and family partake of what was certainly not initially intended for any of them?  Who served the six-year-old some of this toxic concoction?  Why was the tonic being taken at the time that it was? Was it an appetizer or appetite enhancer?  Is this a usual occurrence in present-day Guyana, tonic-sharing sessions? Had that individual’s life been spared then I would certainly have recommended a charge of child abuse be laid with the most severe of penalties.
I have left my native shores for more years than I honestly care to recall, but I fail to recall young children receiving tonic at such an early age. The adult deceased were clearly unfamiliar with the use and contraindications of SSS tonic. SSS Tonic is an iron supplement with vitamins B1, B2 and B3. It is taken for anemia. SSS Tonic contains mostly iron, B1 – Thiamine, B2 – Riboflavin, and B3 – Niacininamide vitamins.
Now only one lad may live to tell the tale of the tonic that never went but caused four individuals to their graves be sent.  He was in doubt so he spat out?  He certainly has a tale or two to tell, so that a better understanding can be reached. Lurking deep within me is the feeling that this sad saga has another side – the untold one. We cannot afford to talk half and leave half. All including the truth must be told or at least exposed.
Yvonne Sam

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