OPINION: Visa -PPP Govt denies; who believes, trusts?

Last Updated on Friday, 25 September 2026, 7:08 by Written By Denis Chabrol

by GHK Lall

The PPP Govt denies involvement in the Justice Gino Persaud “visa review.”  A government that honors its word, has a record of being trustworthy, can have that accepted at face value.  No arguments.  No pushback.  By its hand, however, the PPP Govt has condemned itself into the row of the untrustworthy.  Too little done to earn the confidence of Guyanese.

The PPP gave its word: it was going to address all contracts.  Then, what did it do?  Like some cheap tinhorn operator, the government reneged on its commitment, welshed on its promise.  Should it be believed in its visa denial assertions?  I want to; how can I?

The same government said that there will be an untainted, impeccable, Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the MV Barima tragedy.  It swore, it committed, it promised.  Then, what did it do?  A secret swearing in, the media barred.  A flawed beginning; the stage set: a farce for a COI in the making.  This is the government that says to the people ‘believe us, trust us.’  But it wraps the COI in layers intended to mislead.  There was misrepresentation from the inception.  Deviousness will continue to the termination.

When a government is characterized by secrets, only drunks, fools, and knaves would trust anything it says.  Secrets with oil money.  Secrets with housing money.  Secrets with the deportee deal.  Secrets relative to a leader’s whereabouts during the first hours of the Barima horror.  Secrets and stealth in its dealings with MV Barima family members longing for relief.  Secret missions spearheaded by exploiters and fearmongers from the PPP Govt who cross the doorstep of survivors, pressure them.  If at the beginning, in the middle, and in the aftermath of a harrowing national tragedy, one of Guyana’s biggest, the PPP Govt could work energetically at pulling the wool over the eyes of Guyanese then, by all that’s reasonable, how can these people be believed?  Be trusted?  With anything?

The government denies that it had a hand in what is lining up to be the Gino Persaud Visa Papers.  I wish to give it the benefit of the doubt, accept its word.  But on what basis?  On what history?

The PPP Govt said that it is about unity.  Go back to 2020.  It has delivered the kind of unity that would please Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, South Africa’s PW Botha, and America’s Donald Trump.  A nod for unity, followed by a wink.  The PPP has divided this country, so that its One Guyana supremacy program could gain energy and acceleration.  Mocha.  Linden.  Teachers.  Public Service.  Where’s the promised unity?  How to believe?

The PPP Govt insists in all its speeches, all its propaganda films, that it’s about democracy.  Parliamentary doors locked for months.  There’s democracy.  The Speaker has blocked the free flow of motions and conversations.  Democracy, again.  For his crowning achievement, the Hon Speaker has his own dictionary, with certain revealing words banned.  Howzat for parliamentary democracy!  I must ask the Hon Speaker of the House where he stands on the burning of books found offensive by the PPP Govt.  Taking a risk, I want to ask him what should be the fate of writers of such books, but am too scared.  Democracy claimed, parliamentary proceedings stonewalled, and it required the white people to save the little brown people from their foolishness, weakness, sickness, and tawdriness.  The man did say that stupidity took over this country.

Guyanese are free to take the risk and trust what the government says about its noninvolvement in the U.S. Gino Persaud “visa review” development.  Exclude me.  I have had it enough of PPP shaded truths, PPP Govt guileful misrepresentations, and PPP leadership sly deceptions.  This government has misled the Guyanese people so frequently, one more to its record is nothing.  Mislead one time, mislead a million times afterwards.  The irony is that (like the boy who cried wolf), this time might be the one time that the PPP Govt should be believed, trusted, except that it’s too late in time.