“It tells us all about what has become routine… that’s corruption… what has become the inspiration for rum and coke for the perpetrators… and senna and salts for the victims,” said GHK Lall, author of Guyana: A National Cesspool of Greed, Duplicity & Corruption (A Remigrant’s Story), which he described as a book for those whose voices are muted owing to fear.
“I wrote this book to tell the story of those who are not in a position to articulate their experience… Every day I hear stories, horror stories of what is happening to others, at their homes and even when you go for a birth certificate,” Lall told a small gathering at the launch of his new book on Friday in the auditorium of Marian Academy.
The author said that the story must be told because it is corruption that divides Guyanese and it could not be ignored since it is not denied even by the highest authority.
“No one, including the government of the day, disputes that corruption is a problem… the former Speaker of the House said that is was pervasive, the Head of the Presidential Secretariat not too long ago said that there is a sufficiency of evidence.
Well, well, well, if he can say that there is a sufficiency of evidence, we know we are talking about 20%, we know that we are talking about a whole universe,” Lall stated.
He said that only four people have so far read his book, and the reviews so far received, commented that there is much “anger” and “bitterness” expressed. “Anger? It is a recapture of the emotional temperature of the events that happened… it is also said to have a taste of bitterness – well that’s the harsh reality of Guyana,” he went on, adding that he was also told that it contains strong language.
Explaining the title of the book, Lall said it is intentional. “A national cesspool? It’s deliberate. It is intended to be provocative. It is intended also to see what I see. It is a national cesspool and we are all walking in it whether we like it or not.
Whether we want to see or hear, then we will smell it. Why national? It’s not a Georgetown problem, it’s not an interior problem. It‘s not Berbice or Essequibo or Demerara, it’s national!,” he repeated. Lall said that he was in a position to speak out in writing because he has the freedom from “entangling associations,” enabling him to speak as he pleases.
“I don’t need a new car, or a new house or an offshore account… I do not need that and I have the ingredients of mind, spirit and certain talents that allow me to say this is what it is, this is how it is, this is how I see it,” he told the audience.
Making reference to the recent shooting of Linden protestors, Lall said that these were three tragic deaths and the families are forced to have experts flown into the country because their own are not trusted. “We‘ve got to bring people from outside because we don’t trust our own people… what does that say?” he queried.
When asked about the solution to the corruption faced in Guyana, Lall said that it must begin with persons in leadership roles. “It’s a combination but it has to start at the top… We’re not going to have this from the bottom to the top,” he said.
Addressing the forum as well was attorney-at-law Gino Persaud, President of the anti-corruption NGO, Transparency Institute Guy-ana Inc (TIGI).
He explained that TIGI defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power, and corruption hurts everyone. TIGI considers corruption to be insidious, he said, and it undermines a country’s democracy, which involves human rights and civil liberties, and it leads to poverty.
“Corruption unjustly and illegally takes away the country’s resources from the masses by enriching the powerful minority. It is also said that corruption is authority plus democracy minus transparency,” Persaud noted.
Making very brief remarks at the book launch also was former auditor general, Anand Goolsarran, who said that he was very impressed with the title of the book.
He noted that among Guyanese, corruption remains undisclosed because of a “fear factor” which has been instilled in persons, but he is asking everyone to speak up in order to make Guyana a better place.
“I have a voice, I have a view and I want to express it and I am asking everyone to do the same… I’m angry, I’m sad, I’m disappointed, I’m ashamed of what is going on,” Goolsarran said.
