Dear Editor,
Touching on the subject of one’s rights under the law as a Guyanese and as a citizen of the world, it is interesting to note what are the tenets therein.
Under The UN Charter, there are certain rights enshrined, such as the fundamental rights and dignity of a human being, and to live in peace and harmony with each other and our neighbours.
Another one of those rights is a citizen’s right to vote – and this is the single most important article that gives Norton the jitters, if not diarrhoea: the right to vote.
Article 25 of The United Nations Covenant states that any citizen, irrespective of religion, colour or political affiliation, has the right to vote. That means if and when you are a legal citizen of that country, then it is your human duty to choose a Government of your choice.
This is a troubling area for Mr Norton, as he thrashes the Government on the issue of the Venezuelan migrants’ presence here in Guyana. In his view, becoming a citizen does not give them the right to vote; and further, if they were allowed to vote, they should choose a party of his liking.
I have already dealt with the issue of the Venezuelan refugees, many of whom are Guyanese remigrating to their homeland, so there is no question here of their identity, the only problem is whom should they vote for. But before we proceed, let me remind Mister Norton of the way his party under Burnham exploited that right. Thousands of voters (allegedly) living overseas, under mysterious circumstances, voted solidly in favour of his party.
This was a shameful chapter in our history, which we would never countenance a repeat. That illegal sourcing of votes was changed only when the PPP/C Administration put a genuine legal stop to it.
Neither would we forget the mass exodus of Guyanese to overseas territories, caused by the authoritarian rule of the corrupt PNC. It was a time when thousands of our people sought refuge in other countries, Venezuela being one of them. So, to listen to Mister Norton speaking of returning citizens of this country in such harsh tones leaves much to be desired of him. The Venezuelans are our own people, sir!
Conversely, that could not be said of the Haitians, who were simply passing through our shores. Mr. Norton spoke of them in terms of endearment because, in his book, they were prospective supporters and future votes at election time.
But there was a serious problem when it came to the Haitians, they were being trafficked into and then out of Guyana again, and their presence here was a temporary one. We know of the top coordinators of that trafficking ring, persons who, together with their “Haitian salvation friends here”, would position themselves at our international ports of entry to receive them. These were the persons who were trafficking poor hapless Haitians into Brazil for subhuman services.
The point I would like to establish here is that there is no comparison between the two groups; one group represents the inhumane trafficking of souls, while the other group is our own people returning home.
Respectfully,
Neil Adams
