Dear Editor,

Before I get to the issue which I am really writing about in this letter, I would like to comment on two issues briefly:

1. The position of Mr. David Hinds on the war on terrorism when he criticizes Mr.Jagdeo for supporting the USA's struggle -I support the position of the Guyana Government but words are not as important as deeds and I say that we the people of Guyana should demand that our government be the first in the Caribbean to commit our very professional and highly trained GDF troopers to support American forces wherever they might be needed. Mr. David Hinds likes to project himself as an intellectual but his positions on this issue and others really reminds me of Vladimir Lenin's treatise: "Left-wing communism-an infantile disorder" and Mr. Hinds has certainly proven over the years to be an avid leftist and an American basher.

2. The recent spate of letters claiming that the Guyanese of Richmond Hill/Queens/NY let Trevor Rupnarain down. What trash and nonsense!! The Guyanese voters in Richmond Hill are a lot smarter than Mr.Rupnarain and his apologists give them credit for-50 years of the politics of President Cheddi made them smart enough to ignore and deny "Trevor" the vote on election day; 50 years of the collective understanding of the political processes would have allowed the Guyanese voter in Richmond Hill to see right through "Trevor".

I would like to also comment on the present 'situation' concerning the deportation of Guyanese criminals from the USA to Guyana . I hold to the position that our approach has to contain at all times two main elements: Honour and Pride. We must not, as Mr.Luncheon and the Gang of 8 are doing, play politics and hide behind our "sovereignty" but instead hold an honourable and principled position in recognizing that the Guyanese criminal deportees belong back in this country and any criminal acts committed in the USA or other countries will be held against them by our police and court authorities. Furthermore, we should hold the position and have the pride to declare to all foreign criminal justice systems (including the USA) that any Guyanese committing crimes in other countries and convicted of those crimes should and could serve their sentence given in the USA- in penal institutions here in Guyana, hopefully in a new Mazaruni prison which I am sure could be a profitable enterprise for private investment. We should accept the verdict of the American justice system (especially after the due appeal processes) and work with the American authorities to bring to justice all Guyanese who involve themselves in criminal activities in the United States. Our people who have migrated from Guyana to the United States are hard working and honest people who save their hard earned money and give their children opportunities which they never had in Guyana. Our people have no choice but to seek a better life in the USA due to the disastrous political and economic conditions which exist here.

Why should visas (immigration and visitors visas) be jeopardized by the unwise leadership of Luncheon and the gang of 8 with their position of no honour and no pride on this critical issue facing the nation. Mr Jagdeo should take this issue out of the hands of Mr.Luncheon and let the proper elements in the Government handle and advise him-maybe the Attorney General or the Minister of Home Affairs. We are honour-bound and have a duty and responsibility to take charge of any criminals who embarrass all Guyanese by committing crimes in other countries. Let us live up to that moral duty and immediately co-operate fully with the American (or other countries) to accept all Guyanese born criminals without pre-conditions.

Let the Guyana Government officials remember the following passage from the Book of Psalms-Psalm 58:

"The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;
They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear;
Which will not heed the voice of charmers,
Charming ever so skillfully."