Dear Editor,
I had penned the following letter a few weeks ago and had been debating in my mind whether and/or when the opportune moment would have been to release it. When I saw the news in KN online this morning (November 11), I felt a tremendous sense of relief and happiness that justice is still alive and there is still hope for us. I must publicly applaud the Ombudsman for seeking to correct an injustice inflicted several years ago that wrecked the lives of several decent and upright citizens. The letter follows:
“I came across a blog recently regarding the sordid tale surrounding the sacking of the three top officers from NBS a few years ago, namely, Messrs Maurice Arjoon, Kent Vincent and Kissoon Baldeo. This situation is usually what movies are made of and when trying to wrap my mind around this entire episode, you begin to wonder what motivates some persons to do what they do to cause such wanton pain and harm to others. The blog was particularly harsh on one official of NBS, and a few other influential persons in the political and governmental landscape. I have known the official for quite some time and cannot help but feel completely and utterly disillusioned with the purported actions attributed to him and his alleged role in this entire debacle which has effectively destroyed and publicly disgraced some very decent and upright citizens of Guyana. I will not attempt to regurgitate this story to the public as it has made the headlines for close to a decade now, but I cannot fathom the tremendous hurt and humiliation that these fine gentlemen must have felt and continue to feel during this most turbulent period in their respective lives. Their entire careers were unceremoniously destroy-ed and their lives turned inside out for reasons best known only to the perpetrators of this heinous plot against them. The statements and letters emanating from former Board members, Messrs Leon Rockliffe and David Yhann speak volumes on this matter, and it is testimony to their impeccable character and professionalism that they waited until the charges were all dismissed by the courts before issuing same and subsequently resigning. The architects of this episode should hang their heads in shame.
“My sole purpose in penning this missive is to draw attention to the simple fact of how easily a person’s life can be destroyed and turned upside down through no fault of his or her own, but just simply through a few persons concocting a fable regarding financial malfeasance against them. From time immemorial, financial irregularity, whether true or false, has been the easiest allegation to throw at enemies whenever the intention is to destroy the integrity of another person. We all know that negative news sells. We need to guard against such things recurring in the future as there is only so much that a person can take. The silent majority in Guyana needs to speak out against such abominations. Yesterday it was this trio, today it is someone else, tomorrow it may be your turn.
“I hail from Eccles which is the same village that Mr Arjoon is from, and literally grew up in front of Mr Arjoon. I would wager that no one of sound mind and morals in our village would ever believe that Mr Arjoon committed such an act. Mr Arjoon may not have been the most popular individual in the village, but he and his family were one of the most respect-able, decent and upright families to have called Eccles their home. Why would someone commit so many decades of their life to an institution then proceed to commit fraud at the tail end of their career? It just does not make sense! I met Mr Vincent about 15 years ago through my wife’s uncle and I am equally impressed with the integrity and credibility of Kent. I do not know Mr Baldeo personally at all and cannot offer a comment on his character.
“As if to rub salt in their wounds, these individuals now have to sue the institution to obtain the benefits which are rightfully theirs.
“The onus is now on the Government of Guyana to launch a full-scale enquiry into this entire fiasco and let the chips fall where they may. I trust that the NBS has adequate directors and officers’ liability insurance coverage to deal with any possible liabilities that may arise therefrom.”
Justice has now been served with the release of its findings by the office of the Ombudsman. Let these men and their families be relieved of the tremendous burden and stress that they have suffered at the hands of some malevolent persons.
Yours faithfully,
Raj Singh
