Archive for category: GHK Lall

From America to Guyana: Witch hunt (visa review)

OPINION BY : GHK LALL September 2026

Over three hundred years after Massachusetts, its plague strikes Georgetown.  Over three quarters of a century after Wisconsin, that same meteor hits Guyana.  It’s a bunker buster.  Everyone keeping their heads low; who doesn’t have cover run to find it.  In Massachusetts, the place was called Salem.  It earned immortal infamy for witch hunts; the many set afire to drive the devil out of them.  From Wisconsin came a washed-out alcoholic who became an American hero.  Joe McCarthy was his name; scaring people was his game.  Even his own Republican Senators, even his Republican President, war superstar Eisenhower, feared him.  Joe McCarthy hated commies.  Wonder about his disposition with the closet ones here. 

For Guyanese unfamiliar with ‘McCarthyism’ a primer.  It was about hunting for red snakes in offices, in the army, anywhere he could find them.  He was adaptable.  When he couldn’t find subversives, he manufactured them.  McCarthyism didn’t die when he died. McCarthyism has fastened its fangs deep in Guyana, thanks to PPP Guyana.  In fairness to the dead senator’s memory, witch hunts are not new to Guyana.  The PPP Govt has Live in Guyana.  Guyana’s Minister of Justice, Hon Anil Nandlall is tongue-tied, handcuffed, trussed up (chickenlike) when Live in Guyana practices its dirty scares, its witch hunts.  If I had the secret support of Guyana’s biggest presences, witch hunting might be a calling considered.  Senior Counsel Nandlall pretends ignorance of that existence, helpless in doing anything.  Dr. Clifton Hicken, Top Cop, also respects darkness, seeks distance.  Thus, witch hunts and red scares (the proper party color) abound unchecked.  Live in Guyana is a Guyana’s equivalent that embodies the characteristics of Germany’s Goebbels, Russia’s Stalin, and Guyana’s Burnham.  The PPP Govt respects Forbes Burnham so much that it hired one of his stars for its dirty work.

In sum, Guyanese who speak differently are diabolical, demonic degenerates .  Thus, the PPP witch hunts began.  So, they flourish.  Enter Washington.  Not Seattle, Washington, but Washington, District of Columbia.  The new McCarthyite red scare, the new American witch hunt, has a two-word name: visa review.  The loyalty factor of Harry Truman days.  The oath of honorable citizens demanded as proof of patriotism.  What standard was violated that necessitated “visa review” in the particular situation that now transfixes Guyana?  If a judge today, the jury is next, the public last.  If a judge, then damage has been done, mission accomplished.  The special relationship between PPP Guyana and Trump America marches deeper into local mudflats.  Deportees yesterday, visa review today.  Tomorrow could bring ICE to Guyana.  Cooling is needed.  Just not that chilling kind.

In the two-word hammer of “visa review” I recall other two-word labels that engineered much destruction.  One is Manifest Destiny, the second is domino effect.  Cheddi Jagan could have written books about both, if still here.  Manifest Destiny today means to own and control all the oil in this hemisphere.  Midterm changes or none, no one is walking those gains back.  Meanwhile, the domino effect means that no one must stand in the way.  No plan, no program, no plank must topple.  Therefore, a sacrificial lamb swaddles “visa review”, seemingly prompted by Guyana.  I hear a Final Solution warning: buckle down or be broken-down.  My God!  This is the America to which I gave my best years.

Wherever “visa review” terminates for a judge now besieged, of this one development, this one environment, this one commitment, be assured.  Guyana is now cow country.  Cowed into silence.  Cowed by the American hysterectomies performed on Guyanese men.  Cowed by American castrations of Guyanese womanhood.  Some balls must be developed on which to roll.  Because when the ball bearings go, the brains were already boiled and shredded.  I can see a Confederate Flag flying around Office of the President, Freedom House, Carmichael Street, other high Guyana offices.  It’s the price of power.

It is 2026.  In Guyana, it’s a redux of Salem in 1696 and McCarthy in 1956.  Consider the witch hunts and demagogic scares that now prosper in Guyana, or coming into Guyana from America.

HE Ali -updated sketch -a leader in shreds –Part II

OPINION BY: GHK LALL September 2026 

I hate to disappoint, but I must.  To the legions of PPP Govt Lall readers, followers, and worshippers, my apologies.  The transfixed include men and women at the Office of the President, wherever the Vice President makes his base of operations, and the working barracks of the Hon Prime Minister.  Be assured, Mon General, that no offense was intended in listing at number three in the PPP Govt lineup.  First Vice President has to mean something.  Why not first, as in truly first, and not lagging behind the former president?  I must fix.

I had promised Part Two of Pres Ali: a sketch in shreds.  But, honest to gawd, I shrink from going through with it.  Or to put differently, I have it done, but weigh withholding out of deference to the highest office in Guyana.  Due to the state of the holder.  Enduring bruising salvos of withering fire that don’t stop.  A massacre, it has been.  For a sitting duck he is.  No answers, no standing; making him the object of much condemnation.  It’s not kosher to pound a case that’s virtually helpless (and clueless), almost like a lizard spreadeagled on a rock. 

It’s sinful to take advantage of the hobbled, frail, and already miserable. Why pile on?  No matter how much it has been earned, and by unprecedented lengths.  It’s confession time.

I feel for the president.  Sorrow isn’t quite the word.  Shame is closer to the truth.  He keeps his mouth shut and all and sundry are of the opinion that he is a blank slate, nothing to offer.  He opens his mouth and everyone, except a paid handful, and the family puppy, thinks of him as a damp squid.  One that flattered to no avail.  One fallen on bad times.  One who lost his lines.  One who has no punchline.  When a leader, any man, has to carry the combined burdens of those on his head, it shouldn’t surprise at the state of his head?  If a head-of-state cannot keep a good head, then what outcome for that State?  To state this rather harshly, is that a State of repute?  A state worthy of its patrimony? 

What kind of State would still show its face among sister nations, when its own head is in such a state of jeopardy?

In the circumstances, I would have to be a butcher, a bruiser, a cold-blooded dispatcher to treat Guyana First Citizen, this nation’s favorite son, as if he is a forlorn, best forgotten, has-been.  A mistake allowed to linger way past its time.  An inviting punching bag that’s no longer worth the effort, doesn’t generate the spirit.  I find myself in a good place.  There can be looking at the Office of the Presidency, and a sweep of contentment takes over.  The incumbent is more reticent, these days.  The intervals between the frothy stuff that comes before the dribbling deluge of misplaced emphases (Opposition Leader and spotlighting him) are now noticeably longer.  All my hard work has yielded some belated results.  What would I do to recapture those lost hours and years of painstaking correction?  What would I not sacrifice for the presidency of this Republic to regain some footing, some lost luster!

Finally, when a leader begins to fancy himself God’s gift to Guyana, it is time that Guyanese get a sense of urgency.  Spend the money.  Go to Duke Street, Get a U.S. visa.  And get the hell out of here.  The record will confirm that I did my best to save the president from himself.  His own history will reiterate that he was prone to put his foot in his mouth.  Worse yet, then came a season of foot-and mouth events that still have many miles to go. 

The night is long, and the hour is dark.  I, too, still have a long way to go.  Lead kindly light.  Then, let me lead those who have no light in them to that place of grace.  I’m looking at my president.

Justice Persaud’s visa review: source and grounds, please

OPINION BY: GHK LALL September 2026

Haven’t heard that one in a long time.  Visa review.  Certainly not for a sitting judge of Guyana’s Court.  All that is known right now, is that Guyana’s High Court Justice Gino Persaud U.S. visa is under review.  He found this out in the worst way.  Seemingly, at the point of travel to Jamaica via the U.S. 

For now, all I have is a handful of questions.  I think they have bearing, particularly when the temperature of the local environment is taken.  Where did this “visa review” development originate from: official Guyana or the U.S?  It has to be one of the two places, which then raises a next question.  What are the grounds for Justice Persaud’s “visa review”?  Before proceeding, I clear the air. 

A US. visa is a benefit, not an entitlement.  It can be rescinded without any reason given, other than bland, vague sections of U.S. law cited.

Did his judicial rulings send some powerful people here or in the U.S. crazy?  That is, those decisions interfered with some carefully laid plans and timelines.  Did one particular ruling involving one group of Guyanese make him into a marked man? 

Is he seen as too independent?  Is this a move to get rid of him, i.e., off the bench, and out of sensitive people’s hair?

Whatever the answers to those questions, I have this to say.  I have known Gino Persaud since my first months back in Guyana.  There was some sharing.  Unfortunately, there was a parting that has lasted several years.  Perhaps, that’s better for both of us.  But this I will say in public, and for the record.  Gino Persaud is a jurist of caliber, is a person of integrity, and is one who I believe has been true to his profession, and the callings of his current role.  Whatever this “visa review” means, it is where I stand.

In view of his place in the hierarchy of Guyanese society, it is surprising that he had to find out about this U.S. “visa review” development and the abrupt (embarrassing) curtailment of his travels in the way he did.  How difficult could it have been for the U.S. Consulate to communicate to Justice Persaud that this is where his visa position stands. 

I think he was owed that courtesy.  If the objective was to bring to a halt and then wring the knife, success has been recorded in both instances.

Casting my eyes outside of Guyana, I note that in Trinidad and Tobago, several opponents of the government have had their U.S. visa cancelled.  The Trinidadian Government has cultivated close ties with the U.S. and is looked upon by Washington as a friend, if not a reliable ally.  Were there such official overtures, or influence brought to bear, from Trinidad, that contributed to the yanking of those visas for Trinidad’s opposition members?  More pointedly, is there such a situation here in Guyana, where there is a tight country-to-country bond?  In asking these questions, I remind Guyanese of the real world.  Today’s governments are in the business of staying in business.  The U.S. government is all about business for itself and its people.  In sum, whatever the country, whosoever the leader, interests more often that not (if not always) come out ahead of ideals. 

If this visa review holds for a sitting judge with a solid reputation.  Where does that leave the regular man, or anyone, should he or she cross the wrong parties in Georgetown or Washington?  As said, a chilling message is sent.  Don’t mess with us.

Rampant mismanagement: Dr. Ali mismanaged himself, failed Guyana

OPINION BY: GHK LALL September 2026

Pres Ali’s Al-Jazeera self-embarrassment is over.  In this postmortem of an international tragedy, I offer free counsel to Dr. Ali: from scripture: physician, heal thyself first.

Yesterday, it was Al-Jazeera.  Tomorrow probably the BBC, New York Times, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal.  Guyana’s oil wealth generates media excitements.  Corporate prospects reported, stock prices spiral.  Pres Ali’s duty is to represent this country frankly, comprehensively, authoritatively.  When he speaks on Al-Jazeera, his substance must flourish, grab worldwide attention.  Unfortunately, the shallow side of Pres Ali emerged in the worst way.

Leader of the Opposition.  Relevance?  The question centered on “rampant mismanagement” around cascades of crude cash in Guyana.  Crude it is, and crude was Guyana’s Ali.  Opening to be grabbed to extol the virtues of clean PPP governance, and Ali’s grandeur.  I guide.

First, claims about “rampant mismanagement” aren’t factual.  Because the Ali Govt recruited highly skilled, highly professional auditors.  They follow the oil money trail wherever it goes.  No sacred cows.  They track oil money diligently, Mr. Al-Jazeera; audit findings are quickly published.  Every Guyanese is informed on how their inheritance is managed.  What basis for rampant mismanagement when full disclosure reigns?

Second, if the political opposition must be mentioned, then Pres Ali could have informed the world how the vast State media machinery, under his control operates.  Limited free time and unlimited paid time for full expression of opposition postures.  Government’s policies and practices criticized.  When not so, Pres Ali grasped at straws and clutched froth.  How can rampant mismanagement survive in such an open environment?

Third, “rampant mismanagement” infers out-of-control corruption.  Pres Ali had opportunity to broadcast globally that he promised an anticorruption czar, appointed one.  No PPP Govt flunkey or toady.  But one extracted from civil society and known for unbending integrity and independence.  Further, the work of the anticorruption untouchable can be dissected by every Guyanese, plus illegal immigrants and Venezuelans.

Fourth, when those two loaded, explosive, words (rampant mismanagement) surfaced on Al-Jazeera, Pres Ali could have imitated Lee Kwan Yew.  Ministers, insiders, of the PPP Govt who have been tested, found wanting, are now living life sentences.  He could have offered names, as his testimonials on dealing with rampant mismanagement aka massive corruption.  Since Pres Ali was emptyhanded, he had one escape valve left: distraction and deviation via the Hon Opposition Leader.  He is a monument to PPP Govt mis(management) when honorable attaches.  One giant step, a great leap upward, for the Opposition Leader.

Fifth, the chickens come home.  No roosting, mostly haunting.  Pres Ali cut a haunted figure: a man who gained the world, but lost his marbles.  He slashed air.  He searched for bricks to hurl; threw bubbles.  The Al-Jazeera interviewer mentally brushing off the lapels of his Savile Row suit.  An empowered Pres Ali could have noted the Access to Information Act.  A law obeyed religiously; everything permissible accessible.  Because Excellency Ali ignores that law, rampant mismanagement isn’t ventilated.  It’s given a new skirt branded transparency.

Sixth, rampant mismanagement can’t breathe, when constitutional and democracy’s watchdogs are muscular, vigilant, and on the job.  Given free rein to perform.  When it’s not so, there’s that pounding, exposing Al-Jazeera question.  Word gets out.

Seventh, rampant mismanagement isn’t addressed, resolved, when VP Jagdeo holds a séance at Arthur Chung (smiles slyly sideways).  Got them, again.  Rampant mismanagement managed slickly.

Eight, rampant mismanagement is given its best testimony when Pres Ali drives his people out of their beds for a predawn beating.  Only for regular business returning.  Try the untried.  Assets seized.  Corrupt contractors jailed.  Failed REOs and PSs paraded in stripes around the National Stadium.  Rampant mismanagement admitted.  Real action taken.

Ninth, when there’s a productive parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, Pres Ali could have educated Al-Jazeera’s audience on how rampant mismanagement of oil money is exposed by his cooperating PPP Govt.  He couldn’t.

Tenth, since the PPP Govt has neutralized all these protective checks and balances, all he had left was Opp Leader (misplaced); budget process (tainted); spending process (obscured); and an audit process (mocked).

Instead of Dr. Ali healing himself, the president ended up hurting himself.  He mismanaged himself on Al-Jazeera before the whole world.