As the campaign heats up – albeit not quite to fever pitch as yet – some issues have been thrown up by circumstances that have little or nothing to do with the intentions of the political players. Take gold. For an industry that historically was the first to develop mining in our country in the 1890s and led to the institution of the legendary “pork-knockers”, you’d think it would’ve attracted much greater attention! While your Eyewitness ain’t too sure about the numbers right now – 10,000 was mentioned – at one time there were at least 50,000 of this hardy species knocking about in our jungles and mountains.
Even 10,000 is a whole lotta votes – and should end up producing a whole lotta gold! Yet last year, only 435,000 oz, or 13.5 tonnes, were declared to the Gold Board!! What’s going on?? Well, from what one mid-level player in the industry claims in a “he seh; she seh”, sing-like-a-canary interview – evidently made some time ago with one of our notable muckrakers – the answer is “smuggling”!! But it seems to your Eyewitness that this is just another instance of there being “no honour among thieves”, and this is part of a disinformation scheme by that fella who was sanctioned for smuggling 20 tonnes of gold out of the country and not paying the US$50M taxes to the GRA!!
The person the interview focused on is the largest competitor of Sanction Man in the gold business – and one he’d long insisted had ratted him out to the Yanks to earn him his OFAC sanction!! Now the interview was released even though the Singing Gold Canary (pun intended!) said it wasn’t to be done unless he were dead or gave permission. Well, we know he ain’t dead, and since the person who released it – another muckraker par excellence! – said it was given to her by Sanction Man, it gotta mean Canary gave it to him!! The Canary threw out a boatload of red herrings clearly intended to steer the Yanks towards not only sanctioning Sanction Man’s competition – but also impugning the character of a number of persons in Government!! Clearly, hell hath no fury like a gold smuggler scorned!!
In the meantime, VP Jagdeo had some time ago mentioned the formation of a high-level task force to tighten and enforce the laws against gold smuggling. A Government can’t act on “he seh; dem seh”! He just reiterated that one of the priorities of the PPP’s new Administration after Sep 1st gonna be cracking down on gold smuggling.
Bleeds us of billions in taxes and, not so incidentally, attracts OFAC sanctions that are a black mark against our country.
…on Venezuela
We all know Pres Trump doubled the bounty on Mad Maduro’s head from US$25M to US$50M for information leading to his capture for smuggling coke and fentanyl into the US! Some wondered if the information was provided, how would the US “capture” him?? Your Eyewitness thinks the reward’s just a ploy to induce some insider to capture and hand over the madman!!
In the meantime, Mad Maduro’s Government just filed a “rejoinder” to our submissions on his concocted “Border Controversy” to the ICJ. Most arrogantly for a man who swears on the value of the UN – the rejoinder tells the ICJ to “screw itself”!! It reiterated his Government’s absolute REJECTION of the ICJ’s jurisdiction – even though that jurisdiction’s based on the Geneva Agreement, which Venezuela agrees governs the resolution of the controversy!! But then again, we’re dealing with a madman!!
Anyhow, as our Government responded, Venezuela’s rejoinder ends all submissions – and the ICJ’s gonna now issue their judgement!! Our case is a slam dunk, and Mad Maduro will just have to deal with that!!
…on Guyanese?
The UK just added Guyana to its “deport now, appeal later” list of countries where that rule will be applied to their immigrants in Britain who commit crimes. And they want us to treat them favourably because of “old ties”??
