Smuggling is well entrenched in Guyana

Dec 11, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – What is my response? Preposterous! Ludicrous! A Big fat Joke! I speak here in response to the news that “Govt threatens legal action against Opposition Leader over ‘chicken smuggling’ comment.”

Let me quickly say this. Guyanese buy chicken and other products from smugglers. I am not talking about the regular shopper alone, but actual business owners, namely the grocers. They do this because they enjoy a better profit margin.

As for the ‘known’ and very ‘well-experienced’ smugglers, they can sell cheaper, since Guyana’s borders, across Surname and Venezuela, are a free range for illegalities. These ‘business’ men sell to even the prisons across Guyana. They enjoy great immunity as they have the means to secure protection militarily and legally. Why do you think they are known for their hostile behaviour in the society? They can play loud music at will, park anyhow their luxury vehicles, entertain their employees’ police friends, and build fanciful houses.

The scale of smuggling in Guyana is unimaginable. In fact, it would be good for readers to peruse the following: “Dealer under investigation for smuggling fuel from Venezuela.” … Was previously banned from Suriname.” (Jul 14, 2021 News). By the way, this is not even the tip of the ice-berg.

I say to the Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, either you are ‘cracking a joke,’ or simply saying, ‘to heck with everyone-who can touch me or my smuggling pals.”

Look at this nonsense: “The Agriculture Ministry has refuted, in the strongest possible terms, the malicious, false, and libellous claims and allegations made by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in regard to the smuggling of chicken.”

This is my proposal for those who are going to try to refute me.

Come let us take a ‘walk around.’ Let me point out and record the smugglers in my village. Let me show you their assets, their crew, and their store houses. Let us ask them to show ‘proof-of-income.’ Are you willing Mr. Minister?

Let me boldly say that I am with the Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, who “has said that a major corruption has been unearthed in the Agriculture Ministry, and he is alleging that the Minister and at least one other senior official have been accused of smuggling truckloads of chicken.”

This is so in the fuel business too. The entire hinterland is supplied with fuel from Venezuela. This is well-established too. Again, we can go on a ‘walk-around’ or ‘sail-around’ as such.

Editor, we have a National Coordinator for Agriculture, who at best, is not high-school qualified. This post for National Coordinator was never advertised. All of a sudden Mr. Rabindranauth Persaud, a party-man, is sitting as ‘one of the top-dogs.’

Again, Mr. Minister, go around with an independent group and find out what is happening at the National Agricultural Research and Extension institute (NAREI). I will not embarrass you nor him, concerning ‘suitability’ and ‘qualifications’ for National Coordinator. I am aware of party paramountcy. After all, some people lack dignity and honesty. Bare-facedness is normal in Guyanese politics.

I know. I can prove, but in this case the Opposition head is saying that “based on information he has received, several senior Police officers were instructed to allow trucks carrying huge amounts of smuggled chicken from Suriname to deliver same to the Guyana Marketing Corporation.”

This is not news or anything new. One man supplies the Lusignan Prison with smuggled goods. Imagine the happenings across the country. I need no police source to inform me that “… the scheme involves over 50,000 pounds of chicken and over 1400 boxes of Rockingham chicken leg quarters.” And of course, we all know how undermining this is, as “Apart from being a criminal activity, such amounts threaten the local chicken industry and rob the country of valuable tax revenue.”

In closing, I am calling the Minister’s bluff. Let us go and do proper, independent and transparent checks on what is happening, and what I stand by. We film as we go along. Are you ready?

Yours truly,

Prescott Mon

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