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Dredge owner says a story has two sides
Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter in response to the Issenuru issue and to enlighten the Guyanese public that a story has more than one side. I started working my Draga SD 7652 at a point about 400 yards above where the dredge is presently located (which by the way is a white Draga and not the one shown in the newspapers). This was in the Issenuru Village area during the first week of April, 2015. At the time of commencement of working, I was granted permission by Mr. Dwight Larson, then the secretary of the Issenuru Village Council.
In his words what he says goes and he does not need to consult the council or anyone to grant permission, as his word was powerful enough. In the first three productions, I had been extremely generous. On another occasion I have been generous in fixing an outboard engine. Yet on another occasion, I borrowed money from an Apaiqua business person to help as I wanted to stay friends with the village. On yet another occasion I spent $20,000 to purchase stuff for a birthday party. Financial assistance as a dredge-owner is public knowledge in the village. Let me expand with specific details.
I have donated at the request of the previous village council cash totaling $300,000 to assist in taking a group of 60 persons to Kamarang to play football. To the present council around August this year, I donated a further $400, 000 to take the same group to the same event.
Aside from all of that I have assisted many individual residents of the same Issenuru village in numerous ways such as diesel and lube oil for their land dredges, Gasoline for their outboard engines. This would have cost me in excess of a further $1,500,000. Not to mention facilitating transportation and repairing and welding and almost every problem that individuals and the village would have requested of me. Being a good Guyanese citizen I believe in the code of the “Bushman”, we all eat from the same plate. We have always maintained a friendly relationship with the Village and at no time ever refused to assist in whatever way we can. That is why I cannot understand the reason for this situation.
Aside from the assistance I have always had to pay 12% of my gross production as tribute. This was the amount demanded of me. I will put the Kaieteur News in legal hot water so I do not want to say more. I have in my possession receipts from various representatives of the village Council totaling almost 700 Grams of Gold (22.5 Ounces) -$4,500,000) at today’s gold price.
To the best of my knowledge I would have paid to certain representatives another 300 grams (10 ounces -$2,000,000) of which receipts were never issued to me . In a summary I would have paid 32.5 ounces of gold $6,500,000 to the village council of Issenuru.
Suresh Ramkissoon
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