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The AFC has noted the acrid response of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the daily press regarding statements made by Leader, Raphael Trotman, MP as they pertained to the plight of Guyanese in the Diaspora, and in Barbados in particular. It is hoped that what the Minister is displaying is not ignorance, or worse, an arrogant disregard for the fact that she was elected to serve and must be able to bear scrutiny, criticism and comments from other elected officials, the media and the public at large. Hers is not a cloistered position that protects her performance and actions from public scrutiny. Her actions and decisions impact on tens of thousands of lives; and so being, or appearing nonchalant and disinterested brings no comfort or sense of security to any one of them. People expect that their anxieties will be quieted and answers provided in times like these by those who are elected to govern.
It is in this vain that the Leader of the Party submitted a Motion to Parliament for debate and agreement, and makes comments on the situation. We realise that this government would rather have this embarrassing episode simply fade away.
The AFC remains firm in its position that it is because of the lack of opportunities and jobs, and the pervasive pall of hopelessness that the PPP/C’s occupation of the seat of government has cast throughout Guyana, that Guyanese have been forced to literally run hither and thither and live like criminals, and in deplorable conditions just to be able to escape the misrule and mismanagement of the PPP/C.
The least that the Minister and her government could do is to show some care, concern and empathy for the situation facing thousands of Guyanese who are being threatened with deportation. To date the Minister has failed to say to the nation what is the plan to firstly ensure that Guyanese are treated with dignity in other countries, and secondly, to prepare for the eventuality for a mass return of Guyanese to these shores expecting jobs, homes, and other benefits. The AFC therefore urges Minister Rodrigues-Birkett to do less letter writing and to focus on finding solutions to a crisis in the making. Whether it becomes one depends on how she addresses the issues. It is expected that the AFC’s Parliamentary Motion will be supported by the government especially, the Resolve Clause that reads:
“That the Government of Guyana must exhaust all diplomatic and or legal efforts to guarantee the protection of our people, by providing the aforementioned assistance for the dignified repatriation of those Guyanese where unavoidably are returned to their homeland from Barbados or the wider Community, and to make preparation for their social and economic re-integration into Guyanese society and national life.”
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