Does Guyana need its remigrants?

Jan 03, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
As a returning Guyanese my heart misses a beat. This is caused by sheer nostalgic euphoria and nationalistic expectations whenever I hear prominent politicians speak of extending an olive branch to those of the diaspora. Former Presidents Jagdeo and Romatar and others in their respective administrations often did it. And now President Granger and others in his administration have been following a similar trend. However, the euphoric expectations I experience are short lived when the realities of my personal experiences are remembered.
Since I was invited to return home in 2009 I have been knocking at the doors of the successive administrations suggesting that they develop Guyana´s first ex-offender rehabilitation program. I made the case every which way to show how beneficial it would be in a crime ridden society like ours.
The Ministry of Public Security, nee, Ministry of Home Affairs, must have stacks of my proposals in which I outlined how such a program would benefit Guyana. With much excitement I spoke of my work in North America and across the Caribbean. I highlighted the fact that Guyana´s rate of recidivism is upwards of 70% and that a post-release rehabilitation program would significantly reduce both crime and recidivism in Guyana.
I quoted statistics from the published 2010-2015 Guyana Prison Service Strategic Plan, to show that Guyana´s crime problem is youth-driven and that the inmates and those released are complaining that the stigma and lack of gainful employment are some of the contributing factors that drive them to a life of repeated criminal behaviour. I noted the need to set up a half-way house, where released ex-offenders could go to find temporary housing, vocational training, academic tutelage, drug rehabilitation and spiritual formation.
I shared with the successive administrations my work as a pastor, prison chaplain and criminologist. I have written and published several articles and research papers on this subject matter. My lectures are thought within the Department of Corrections in the State of Indiana and I have personally created a peer to peer lecture series which is a staple course in the largest prison in that State.
I have personally written to all two of the last Presidents and to the current one, expressing my desire to work at assisting to reduce crime in my country. For those who expressed skepticism in my claims, I asked them to Google my name and that of my organization – Practical Christianity Ministries. And still for others I even shared with them references and testimonials for their perusal.
With all of that, except for an occasional acknowledgement of my proposals or letters, I am yet to have a meaningful conversation with someone who can make a decision to move forward with this most needed initiative. I am yet to speak to someone who is willing to tap into my expertise of working with this problematic clientele.
I am saying all of this in context and in light of President Granger’s most recent overture to those living and studying overseas. If I who am here, with all my professional expertise, find it so difficult breaking into the inner circle of the bureaucracy which obtains in this politically close-knit society, how much more the newly returning Guyanese? And it is not just me. I know several other professional Guyanese who have been living here for a while, enthusiastically desiring to use their training and experiences to assist their country but they cannot get past the political gridlock. Some have packed up and returned from whence they came. Others are planning to.
Every department or ministry you call refers you to another. Every Minister you speak with says that the decision to hire you is the call of another Minister. Each meeting ends with the remigrant being pointed higher up the pecking order. Getting to the “right” Minister is like pulling teeth. And again, this is true with both the current and the previous administrations.
I would want to conclude by saying that this administration will have to prove that they are indeed willing to aid the return of those from the diaspora by doing more than engaging in rhetorical overtures.  Maybe a department needs to be set up where folks from the diaspora could register. Some place where those of us who have beneficial skill-sets can take our certificates, diplomas, articles, credentials, curriculum vitae,  etc., and have them vetted for authenticity.
Then some kind of a data base needs to be created for the systematic dissemination of the verified information. So that the Guyanese who is returning knows that his or her information is actively being assessed and reviewed, with the main aim of finding employment for them. Such a data base needs to begin with those of us who are already here. For indeed, many of us feel like we have been forsaken and lied to, twice.
Pastor W. P. Jeffrey
Practical Christianity Ministries

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