Secret governance in an intensifying secret society

Sep 25, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

Confirmation comes daily that the PPP/C expands secret governance in this country, which assumes the features of a secret society. It is where confidentiality is the standard use for everything, with nothing meaningful allowed to seep into the public domain; the same public, which has a right to know. The Vice President surrounds himself with followers, who would make secret societies like ISIS, Masons, and the Illuminati proud.
Today, there is huge interest about massive fuel smuggling, with the public cheated by PPP loyalists and made to pay by cunning government leaders for the crimes of others. Yet, the GEA locks down information that the public needs to know. Who is involved? How much is the ‘leakage?’ How vast is the network and to where does it tier? Somebody from my church was made to pay for his honesty and industry. Lavoy Taljit disappeared; was made to for several long years now. But, the GEA still settles for confidentiality. And these are the men that speak of integrity! Let discoveries be publicised; it is the people’s business, their debt, their right.
A similar form of smuggling was/is alleged involving gold. But the smartest thing that Guyana’s largest political leader, and a ranking acolyte, could share is: confidential. People in the know, who were talking about the spectre of blacklisting, suddenly pretend at the dumbness of not knowing anything. Except that they paint it with the eye shadow of ‘confidentiality.’ What kind of men are these? As an aside, a Guyanese told me that PNC people are not being fired because they are black, but because they are leaking. What is there to leak, when everything is aboveboard? Also, should this be the national standard, then there would be no public servant around, since this has been the modus vivendi from the Burnham era. If it could have happened then, and was welcomed by the PPP/C, what is wrong with it now, that intensifies the spreading fear that loose lips sink ships. If the ship is made of steely honesty, then talk as much as it pleases, because there is nothing to hide. Fuel smuggling and gold smuggling should never rise to the level of national security secrets that have to be hidden away.
Talk about the haste to hide, and there is the VP hiding in plain sight. Ask the master manipulator of messages any pointed question on oil, and he goes into hiding. At least, he is slick enough to leave claims of confidentiality to lesser fry, who have to justify their existence daily. Confidentiality ensures continuity in office for them. They get to live a longer bureaucratic life, and come up with more lies for coming days. Thus, the confidentiality record gets played over and over, and to which Guyanese better get accustomed to what is a hit song, so popular is it in political and executive circles. To President Ali, I say: this is not transparency, sir; this is a secrecy society.

Sincerely,
GHK Lall