Guyana’s Jagdeo is right

THE EDITOR: The comments of former Guyana president and current Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo critical of TT’s present economic conditions and how Guyanese have been treated by TT in the past are verifiable facts. Yet these articulated facts are uncomfortable and have forced reactions by many, including a daily newspaper, in an editorial, to deny and even condemn Jagdeo’s statement.

Unemployment, foreign exchange crisis, etc are issues that others can address. These are issues which transcend political administration so it should not be viewed as a PNM vs UNC problem but rather a national problem based on the dwindling of our oil and gas resources.

One issue raised by Jagdeo was the manner in which Guyanese nationals have been treated at Piarco International Airport. As a former minister of transport I can corroborate fully Jagdeo’s statement.

In 2011 then minister Ganga Singh brought to my attention the plight of Guyanese travellers at Piarco, where in transit passengers, after having been screened at the port of departure, had to be rescreened in TT only after being cleared by Immigration.

Despite many attempts made to remedy this gross inconvenience there was tremendous pushback by the bureaucracy of the Airports Authority, which resulted in the failure of any changes at the airport and the continued humiliation of Guyanese passengers.

The frustration of the Guyanese passengers at the time was articulated by the then Guyana prime minister, so much so it prompted then chairman of Caribbean Airlines George Nicholas III to ask for my intervention on July 12, 2011. He wrote:

“I am advised that the Guyanese Prime Minister is connecting through Trinidad tonight. I do not know if you have an appointment with him. In the event that you do, we would appreciate if he stops blaming this airline publicly for the difficult in transit position that is the responsibility of the Airports Authority. The problem we are currently working on with them for our passengers and have engaged an international security advisor to assist and for our own facility to then allow for gate to gate transfers. On the direct flight to New York that is being worked on, for this year, and we are looking at ways to reduce the fares from Guyana (that station is expensive).”

This e-mail was later followed by a two-page letter explaining why Caribbean Airlines was not to be blamed for the humiliation of the Guyanese but rather the Airports Authority.

Nicholas also touched on anther sore issue – the fare between TT and Guyana. A mere one hour away, the flight to Guyana from Piarco was just as expensive as a three-hour flight to New York. I remember asking about the feasibility of regional integration where it is cheaper to go to the US than many if not all of our Caricom neighbours.

Of course, when I was subsequently transferred to the ministry of food production the incoming minister had no interest in pursuing this issue and the plight of the Guyanese continued.

DEVANT MAHARAJ

Alberta, Canada