OPINION: Deportees – how could the PPP, Dr. Ali?

Last Updated on Friday, 9 January 2026, 20:46 by Writer

By GHK Lall

It seems that Guyanese are dealing with a moving target relative to the deportees of other countries coming here (alien deportees). I am. Like a swift moving stream of dark waters, there is an attempt to pick the fishes from the stingrays. Survival is tricky, like all things Guyanese.

First, the word was Guyana and the US were to hold talks on the alien deportees’ issue. Second, now it seems that the talks are already ongoing. Third, the hints are that the talks are at an advanced stage, almost to that point of stacking papers, leaning across the table, putting out cigarettes, and shaking hands. With the PPP Govt, one never knows, for all that it cares about cigarette smoke, firsthand or secondhand. It has blown enough smoke into the eyes of Guyanese. So, in packing my own peace pipe, it is time to bring out the cigars. A round of self-congratulation between Guyanese and Yankees celebrating another hard-fought round of negotiations. Or what was supposed to be, give the appearance of such.

My questions and positions are simplicity itself. How could Pres. Ali? How could they (yes, dose peeple) in the PPP Govt? How could both His Excellency, Pres. Ali and his government engage in an issue as sensitive as this, as concerning to ordinary Guyanese in their everyday commerce of life, and keep them in ignorance? Pres. Ali doesn’t have to deal with some alien deportee (not Guyanese) on the street, in the shops, or in some part of the lonely local prairie where there are no protections around. He is in his chariot, surrounded by a mass of visible and invisible guardsmen, and sailing serenely about his business, whatever it is. Guyanese have to fend for themselves, and the defenses that they have are rather scanty. Ever come across a crazed junkie, or other denizen of the street intent on conning his way out of purse and pocket? Or head?

I thought that Pres. Ali would have felt duty-bound to inform Guyanese that the deportee issue was under consideration, and long before any official flights were made to here or out of here. I shouldn’t be the only one thinking around here. I believe that Pres. Ali was beholden to every citizen in this country (including lawless ones) that this is where he is and this is where this alien deportee issue could be heading. A little respect for the Guyanese people from their government, every now and then, would give them some sense of citizenship. Not every time, only now and then. For here it is that the citizenship of locals could be diminished or disturbed in some manner, and their government is happy to let them wallow in mud.

To this point, I haven’t gone near to the probable mixed bag of alien deportees that are slated to be flown here. Get me straight, that part is over, with number settled, and who is going to pay. Not to fly them here, but to resettle and rehab them here. If America couldn’t, then God help Guyana. Take out God, he gave Guyana oil and said goodbye. Ayuh deh pun ayuh own. How many of these aliens will end up here? Will there be one bag of them, or waves of them staggered over a period of time? Will Guyana be part of an ‘open sky’ arrangement? That is, whoever the US doesn’t want, they simply deposit them on American Airlines and leave the rest to the wisdom and resourcefulness of Pres. Ali. I think they have the measure of Guyana’s top national leader. Massage his ego, and immigration doors fling open. One more area before I move on. What about white-collar alien deportees? Guyana has enough of those white-collar types, with the government owning the biggest batch. How is this country going to manage with those conmen and women who arrive on these shores? Forget about country, think of naïve citizens made into sawdust by the incoming wise guys. Has either the president or his government thought of the danger of adding an available and maybe exploitable foreign contingent to the Venezuelan sleepers lurking in Guyanese neighborhoods? Foreign deportees, foreign moles, foreign pressures, and local lost causes. Will somebody upstairs lookout for Guyanese?

In closing, I confess to having a soft spot for Pres. Ali. I think he has tremendous potential. All he needs is about a hundred years, and a sincere willingness to be a humble man and a genuine leader for all. Meanwhile, Guyanese get to study (again) how their democratic govt operates, and where they feature in that toxic sea.