Cracking under pressure

Here we see the Government cracking under the pressure of Uncle Sam and the Government now trying to salvage some pride after the President had huffed and puffed that it was the US responsibility to stop the flow of narcotics to its borders. This is an interesting development after initial talks broke off when the setting up of a permanent DEA office was first proposed.

Government's spokesman, Dr. Roger Luncheon had said a few years ago that the two governments could not agree on a suitable plot of land. At that time Roger Khan and his band of merry men had clutched the government under his wings and the Government wanted to maintain its warmth under the Khan era. Perhaps there is a silver lining behind all this dark cloud, but the shameful fact remains that the US and its allies have lost faith and trust in the present administration.

The US has said there are seeking about a dozen Guyanese in relation to drug related charges, but they have stopped short of releasing the names of those persons to Guyanese authorities. In fact the DEA has adopted a tactical maneuver of waiting for those wanted to step on international flights out of Guyana and capturing them at regional ports. This clearly demonstrates a lack of confidence in Guyana.

It was obvious then that the US was concerned about the safety of its staff, but the Guyana Government was not prepared to bend over and give the US what it wanted. Considerable time has elapsed and maybe the DEA office would have already been set up, now we are back to stage one of negotiating for a permanent office.