Cobeer Persaud and the lawyers that will protest for him

Nov 09, 2022 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Kaieteur News – Cobeer Persaud is a long-standing friend of mine. He has been known to me as Anand, and that’s the name I always use. I will refer to him as Anand in the rest of this column. But I also call him by the name Joey Jagan whenever we met up.

Anand runs a large-dental clinic in Peter’s Hall. Anytime Cobeer calls me or anytime we run into each other, I do not resist the temptation to laugh about an incident. I will always remember that incident.

Joey Jagan had a problem with him and threatened sanctions against Anand over the employment of a Columbian dentist. That was long ago. Joey Jagan has left these shores ages now for the US where he told his interviewers recently in a Zoom programme that he is a card bearing member of the Republican Party.

You never would believe that the son of one of the world’s great anti-colonial protestors, Cheddi Jagan would become a card-bearing member of a powerful global organization that sounds very much like the speakers at Nazi rallies and may soon cause an implosion of American society. The Republican Party poses a clear and present danger to the US and the world.

Anand of course is still in Guyana, plying his trade and is going nowhere else to live but serving his country. I ran into him yesterday and as we chatted, he told me what he witnessed in his own country.

He said when he is at the Marriot and the Princess Hotel; White folks are seen openly smoking. That is illegal. Guyana has the Tobacco Control Act which prevents indoor smoking at public places. You cannot smoke in the restaurant, hotel, supermarket etc.

Anand told me that exactly one year ago, he published a letter in the Chronicle titled; “Smoking in public places must not be tolerated.” He said since he wrote that missive, the danger continues.”

What Anand is concerned about is that the local staff is afraid to instruct the White patrons not to smoke. So Anand invoked his brave mentality and went up to one of these persons and told him not to smoke, it isn’t allowed.

The gentleman said he didn’t know that because he does it when he is at the hotel and he was never told this. It happens because the local staff is afraid to admonish these White people.

We are returning to the sickening days of racial exclusiveness of colonial society in this country. A foreign firm wants to build an exclusive gated community in Guyana. You know the consequences of that; you must.

The police will not be allowed to enter the compound. Just imagine a local company, Banks DIH, refused to talk to the traffic chief over an offensive violation of the traffic laws of this country.

The company’s big boys and big girls saw the traffic chief on the surveillance cameras and refused to speak to him. I know this because I was the one that brought the traffic chief over the situation and was right there.

If a local company can behave like this, imagine what that foreign-occupied gated community will do. We are returning to the pathological days of colour superiority. You know what I saw on several occasions at Bounty Supermarket in Kitty?

When the $5000 bill had just come out, a cashier would run her finger under the bill looking for a security feature. But she only did that to local customers. I stood aside and looked at her approach.

The Chinese should be the most welcomed foreigners in Guyana, unlike the Canadians, Americans and Europeans. They do not live in gated communities and are seen openly dining at all kinds of restaurants and buying in the local markets.

I know a super-rich Chinese investor who mixes with the Guyanese nation. You will never find this type of attitude with a White European, American or Canadian. He will send his driver to buy at the supermarket and will never dine at any restaurant except the Marriot.

After Anand’s complaints, there must be no-smoking signs put up by the Ministry of Health in all restaurants, hotels etc. At least some patrons will see the sign and desist.

There is finally good news for people like Anand, me and the countless thousands who do not want tobacco smoke in their nose. A group of lawyers who recently protested over police violation of one of their colleagues will now be protesting every violation of the law by whoever does it. So there will be a picket by these lawyers over the non-recognition of the Tobacco Control Act.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not this newspaper.)

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