Of fish, fish nets, and fishy developments

Jul 20, 2024 Features / Columnists, The GHK Lall Column

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Hard Truths by GHK Lall

Kaieteur News – The news is bad all around.  First, the tourist trade in America is going to take a beating.  This means that free and lavish business spending will be down.  There is no greater joy in some circles then spending what the bankers call OPM.  For the sluggish of mind, OPM stands for other people’s money.  Think taxpayers.  Consider what goes on in Guyana.  Then follow matters and the trail of bodies now piling up in America.  To be specific, American airports on high alert, and federal officials with their electronic sniffer dogs to hound, pound, and build a bigger and bigger mound of Guyanese first cornered, then bitten.  The operative word is corruption.

To this point, the names and faces have been conspicuous for who is missing in the gallery of interrupted, escorted, questioned, relieved, debriefed, and released to some form of continuity.  There are no PNC vagabonds, not one of them in a sparkling field of candidates.  That honour belongs to the PPP and, as usual, the party is so damned greedy, that it has a virtual monopoly on the unwavering stare of American officials.  They range from human walkers providing close companionship along that long walk, (consider it to be the equivalent of that last mile), from aircraft door to God knows where.  Whatever the real Big Boss upstairs is sure to know, he is not returning my calls and saying to where these men and women of rare standing and rarer principle are taken for the loving attention of US federal officers.  As they say in America, don’t play dead with the feds; it is advisable not to mess with the best.  But arrogance inside of the PPP only served to fuel the ignorance and petulance that are now so prevalent in the party and most of its people.  There are none harder of hearing, more deficient in learning than the very senior ones in the PPP.  Once again, that truism snatched from the dark, dangerous sea has its own majestic application.  I tender so that all Guyanese can remember: a fish rots from the head.  If there is no head, then the heart follows in quick order, and before long there is no hoof to stand.  It is why there is this sprawling blanket of hysteria in PPP land: who is next?  Who will be fingered and targeted for the kind attentions of the American guillotine?

First, the Americans had a problem with catfish coming out of Guyana.  It was the subtlest of Yankee cautionary notes, but, as all Guyanese know well by now, subtlety is tapestry that is wasted on the PPP.  There is no eye for beauty; say the word obscenity and they are around like a pack of jackals drawn to a carcass.  Catfish banning was the precursor for targeting and banning other fish coming out of Guyana.  For locals with enquiring minds, it is the big fish in Guyana.  PPP big fish.  One by one, they are getting reeled in, just like the overloaded nets that were dragged to shore by the Apostle Peter.  Let there be light, and in all the world, there was light.  However, when God said let there be light, what came to light was all these PPP big fish now doing their best to slide and glide past Uncle Sam country without setting foot into it.  “De Yankee nah gah fuh sank shun them, dem sank shun demself.”  Bypass John F. Kennedy is now the standard instructions delivered from Freedom House, PPP Government ministries, and other agencies of the Guyana Banana Republic to all preferred travel agents.  For those who want the business, or to stay in business, the most recommended course of action is to ask no questions.  No matter the trouble, extra expense, of routing flights through Panama City and Asunción, just do not do anywhere near damn Miami nor Houston G. Bush Intercontinental Airport.  Regarding how this enormous oil business is going to keep growing from where it is today, and the self-ban on US travel that the corrupt (and vulnerable) in the PPP Government have imposed on themselves, there are only three options left to sort out this unholy political disaster.

The first is for President Ali be the point man on oil and other vital matters of State in America.  My reasoning is the essence of practicality itself, as airtight as a Samsonite briefcase of dynamite.  President Ali has immunity.  The second recommendation is for CEO Darren Woods and CFO Katryn Mikells to come to Guyana for oil discussions.  Other Americans from the State and Commerce Departments, who are desirous of having friendly fireside chats with ranking Guyanese political figures could come here.  After all, as is said in Ole Araby, Mohamed didn’t go to the mountains, the mountains came to Mohamed.  That is for the lovely party people, who say that I have no use for His Excellency. Now I just caught myself and apologize for lapsing: I forgot the US Treasury and Justice Departments, whose officers should be in line for a warm and hospitable reception from the PPP Government on behalf of the Guyanese people.  Like I always warn people: yuh can run but yuh ‘caant’ hide.  The Americans got bite; can arrange to get who they want to extradite from the Guyanese corruption network.  The third and final option with this feared American touchdown reception is a funny one.  Appeal to Nigel Hughes to go to Houston and represent the PPP Government on oil there.  His visa is guaranteed not to be revoked.  How is that for a conflict of interest, a political one, not a professional one. Yeah, I know, sometimes I am too much of a smart Alek.

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

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• America, candidates, GHK Lall, hard truths, taxpayers

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