By Pt.Ubraj Narine- On the 12th day of December, 2022, on New Market Street, I asked publicly whether President Irfaan Ali was taking measures towards an Islamic state? I ask the question again in light that President Irfaan Ali announced that Guyana will be importing labourers from Bangladesh. His announcement was endorsed by the man behind the throne, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, at his last weekly press conference.
Why Bangladeshis and not nationals from Nigeria, Ghana, India, and other countries? Immigrants should be more in tune with Guyanese having similar cultural traits and inclusive of all faiths. I am not against Muslims being recruited to labour in Guyana, but there must be balance not to upset the composition of the population as it will set a dangerous trend and could lead to violence against the workers.
Bringing Bangladeshis is clearly vote linked to the PPP and must be pushed back. Bangladeshis and Pakistanis have been coming regularly to Guyana since December 2020. On Thursday afternoon, immigration officials told me that almost every flight to Guyana via Panama, Trinidad, and Suriname for the last three years has dozens of Bangladeshis. Our bureaucrats at Foreign Affairs told me that Trinidad has tightened entry of Bangladeshis because of issues.
The immediate question that comes to mind is why bring Bangladeshis here and why not immigrants from other countries say Ghana, Nigeria, or India? It would be recalled that when Haitians were coming, PPP opposed them accusing the coalition of padding voters. Isn’t Irfaan and Jagdeo doing the same?
Bangladeshis have nothing in common with Guyanese. They are Bengali speakers. Their English is limited. Their culture is different from ours. They are mostly Muslims, and Guyana’s population is religiously diverse. The varied religious groups get along quite well in Guyana. We don’t have religious conflict. Temples, churches, and mosques are not attacked and violated here, unlike in Bangladesh, where Hindus and Christians have been marginalised and denied equality.
There is serious religious conflict in Bangladesh with Hindus and Christians routinely attacked, and temples and churches vandalised. The percentage of Hindus and Christians has declined substantially since 1971 when the nation came into being, from 31% and 2% respectively to 8% and almost nil respectively today. Hindus and Christians are not safe in Bangladesh, and they are exiting the country with record pace, going to India and other safe havens. So why are we bringing Bangladeshis to Guyana. We are potentially transplanting their religious conflict to our country.
Already, we have rising religious tensions. State contracts and top positions are allocated based on religious and political preferences. Christians and Hindus have been underrepresented in contracts and employment since Irfaan became president. Bangladeshis will further religious tension in a society reeling from frail race and religious relations ever since the PPP was installed in power in August 2020.
Why not bring Nigerians, Ghanaian, or Indian nationals who have closer connections to Guyana than their Bangladeshi counterparts. They are more in line with Guyanese than the hard-core religious Bangladeshis. Guyanese Indians are mostly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu and represent the religious diversity of our country with common culture as Indo Guyanese. Bangladeshis are from one religious community with nothing in common with our Guyanese and their cultures.
There is only one reason why Bangladeshis are chosen over Nigerians , Ghanaian, or Indian nationals, and that has to do with religious solidarity to support Irfaan and the PPP with votes. This is unacceptable. It must not be tolerated as it would upset natural racial and religious balance in our country aimed at the 2025 elections and future elections, giving the PPP an advantage.
Jagdeo should engage Hindus and Christians; he would understand how angry they are at being rendered unequal. They have been fuming at their underrepresentation in employment and contracts since 2020. And now, with Bangladeshis being contracted to earn more than Guyanese, there will be frictions and worse. We need a policy that is fair embracing all groups of all faiths with no preference for one like Irfaan Ali’s plan.
Pt.Ubraj Narine, JP, COA
Former Staff Sgt.(GDF), Mayor
City of Georgetown