H@RD TRUTHS BY GHK LALL – Travis Chase: The man who knows too much 

Dec 15, 2023 Features / Columnists, News, The GHK Lall Column

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Kaieteur News – Journalist Travis Chase is no shrinking violet.  Now, it seems that somebody is out to shrink his existence to nothing, as in lights out.  The question I put before my fellow Guyanese is what is it that Mr. Chase knows that makes him such a watched citizen?  What is it that makes it necessary, a priority, that he be removed from this realm?  Whatever it is, Mr. Chase is in danger, and living dangerously.  There is a familiar ring to that, which resonates in this neighborhood.

To clear the air, I met Mr. Chase twice about four years ago, and have spoken to him no more than three times.  I figure him to be a pushy, in-the-face type of person.  But that is no reason to place him in the path of a speeding bullet.  By my count, this is the third attempt on this journalist’s life.  The first time may be ruled out as an accident (things like these happen).  The second is time to consult with an insurance company, which may be the only comfort left when incidents of this nature occur.  The Guyana Police Force has its strengths; but it also has its culture, and labours under some handicaps.

But when a third attempt is made on anyone’s life, then it is not a laughing matter anymore.  Somebody is serious out there, they are watching, and they are bent on putting out Mr. Chase’s light. Three times in the gunsights mean that Mr. Chase is living a catlike existence.  He is on a hot stove.  He knows too much, or it is believed to be so.  It is likely that the twin of knowing too much is part of his troubles, the ominous attention he is getting.  He talks too much about things which people don’t even whisper in this country, and this could be part of his ongoing problems with the wrong end of a firearm.

I am told by many in the PPP that Guyana is a democracy and that it allows freedom of speech, the finest articulations of conscience, and fullness of truth.  Even I am not falling for that one, and about which I think that Mr. Chase is still more caustic and critical than me in what prevails here.  Speak out of turn, and the final turn could be in the cards for one of those mortuaries, cemeteries, or crematories.  It would be interesting to hear what those two honorable gentlemen of Guyana have to offer on all this.  They are the Attorney General, Mr. Anil Nandlall, the man of law; and Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Robeson Benn, the Guyanese in charge of order and cyber ethics.  It is one thing to hurl warheads at Travis Chase from behind the skirt of social media.  It is quite another to do so with warheads made of steel.

I say it again: somebody is working diligently to put Mr. Chase out of business.  For good.  There is no question that his style, his doggedness, and his very presence have offended some people who can make certain things happen.  Like an execution.  If busy, camera covered Main Street could have been the scene of a bloody crime, then D’Urban Street and Cemetery Road have a certain alarming, out-of-the-way truth in this less lit corner of Guyana.  Truth and exposure and justice in this country have all fallen by the wayside.

Whatever it is that Mr. Chase has bundled up deep inside of him, some resourceful people in this country want it to stay right there.  And the best way to ensure that any such gems remain out of the public domain is to take Mr. Chase out of commission.  Whatever Mr. Chase does with what he has, he must strategize on getting the maximum value out of it, and in the hands of the right people.  That is, presuming he does have what merits some interest and further inquiry.  I think I can see the Hon Attorney General squirming uncomfortably.  All of his lovely speeches about reform this and reform that come to naught when certain developments make the news in this manner.  What right, what plight, the speaker (or writer) of conscience and objective truths in this country….?  It does make a mockery of democracy, clean governance, and much more, all of which are burned to cinders due to leadership rottenness and darkness.

I wonder what the Commissioner of Police and his Crime Chief think of, or, have to say about all of this, given Mr. Chase’s possible offenses against those who don’t take too well to no for an answer, or having their stories out in the open!  Plus his worrying, troublesome, and (I must acknowledge it) his dangerous presence in this environment that has so many secrets to protect.  Just ask me about that department. Of course, no one is going to raise their hands, and volunteer for a confession, or a police lineup.  This only makes the job of the Top Cop and the man in charge of crime a tad more on the porous side, and their statistics about serious crime all that more questionable.  After three attempts on his life, Mr. Chase is clearly a man with a bullseye on his back, probably a bounty on his head.  The money is there.  He can rock more boats, but better have his lifejacket ready.  Lovely democracy this is, isn’t it?

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

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• GHK Lall, H@rd Truths, journalist, labours, Travis Chase

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