Dear Editor,
Earlier this week, we witnessed a horrific event that has left us as a nation traumatised; it was the sinking of the MV Barima with more than a hundred persons onboard. This tragedy has benumbed our senses as we witnessed the unfolding of this shockingly scary event. Words cannot express how I feel about this matter; my solace and comfort lie in the all-seeing eyes of the Almighty.
We shall get through this, and we shall overcome as a people; Guyana will never be the same again. We will be a stronger and greater nation as we unite together in prayer and supplication in this our time of need.
There are all types of statements and street analyses coming forth as a result of this horrific event, chief among the accusers being the Opposition. They have not spared the effort to make this tragic event into a political field day for themselves, which tells us that there are underlying, sinister factors that have to be examined before any conclusions can be reached.
Was this a disaster, or was it an act of terrorism? Only time and a detailed analysis can really tell us what happened that tragic night.
So, we get down to a few of these events that took place in recent times. We recall the Adrianna case, where that little girl accidentally drowned in a private pool. That little girl’s death was turned into a political standoff between the Government and the Opposition.
Millions of pounds of damage resulted from an enraged crowd who were facilitated by prominent figures in the opposition; they threatened, burnt, and looted as the crowd went ballistic. They carried out that demonic rampage with the certainty that the Voodoo story they were carrying was the real issue.
But it was not; the real issue was politics and the gaining of cheap political points. That was the motive behind those riots. Some semblance of order was restored when three internationally renowned pathologists gave their scientific findings as to the actual cause of death.
In the recent past, we learned of the murder of Courtney Crum-Ewing three days before the 2015 election. In that event, the PNC vowed to have an inquiry into his death if they were elected to office. That party did win the elections but lifted not a finger to commit to an inquiry, even though there was a mountain of evidence – as they claimed – to implicate the PPP/C Government as guilty of the offence.
Fast forward to a Venezuelan who knew not a word of English but could come into Guyana to plant a bomb at a petrol station in the heart of Georgetown. The questions that a sane person would ask are “How did he get here?” Was he a paid assassin who was led into our country to commit that deadly act? I am of the firm belief he was a paid assassin, and until we uncover further details as to his coming here and who hired him, too many lives would have been lost if that plan had been executed in its intent.
The seizing of 23 AK-47 guns is no chance occurrence in a country that is not at war with its neighbours. Are we not as concerned with external threats as we are internally? Think about it, my readers.
It behoves us now that all points of entry and exit – by land, air, and sea – must have every port monitored by CCTV cameras.
With our ears to the ground, we were told that this disastrous event should have taken place on a similar ferryboat at the 60th anniversary celebrations en route to Fort Island. However, what we learnt was that the occasion plans were aborted due to the obvious nature of such an act taking place on a brand-new ocean-going craft. I rest my case!
I hasten to a close to say this: with a man looking like Jim Jones parading himself as an angel of light, one is led to shocking conclusions. Why is he so involved? The vessel hasn’t been salvaged, so why the rush to judgement? What is there to gain? I use the term “dancing on the dead bodies floating out in the ocean. “ What a sadistic display, giving that ghoulish description of dead bodies; what is his point?
Before the killing of nearly a thousand persons at Jonestown, Jim Jones was that so-called “good and honourable person”, doing humanitarian work, such as healing souls at many of his evangelistic outreaches. However, beneath that facade was a very troubled man who could oversee the deaths of nearly a thousand persons, including women and children; the rest is history.
In like manner, Guyana has seen another of these tragic events in the sinking of the MV Barima. We weep and mourn; we will bury our dead with dignity. But be assured, my people, we will salvage that ship and get to the bottom of it all. We will not rest; we will carry out every detailed investigation into what really took place and what really caused the MV Barima to go under.