By Kurt Campbell
Almost two years after he hastily fled Guyana to Canada shortly after voting in favour of the No-Confidence motion that brought down his own government, Charrandass Persaud still fears for his life.
The former APNU+AFC Parliamentarian, who returned to Guyana three weeks ago, is still hiding out in a hotel and has refused to return to his East Canje, Berbice home although his plans are to resettle here.
He does venture out, but not without his personal bodyguard. Speaking with the News Room on Wednesday, Persaud said he needs time to become “at home” with the threat against his life but he understands that it will take much effort to remove the threats altogether.
“When I say at home, I mean comfortable with the threat or to be able to say this is a threat and I will deal with it when it comes but for now, it is a mental thing.
“I am not safe, but it is the feeling that will make all the difference like I did on the night of December 21, 2018. I knew things could happen, but I was so prepared that even death could not have mattered,” he said.
Persaud believes there are still persons who want to hurt him because of the stance he took against the former APNU+AFC government – initiating a process that saw the coalition being removed from government.
Persaud, in his usual cheerful self, recalled the night of December 21, 2018, when he voted against the APNU+AFC government in a No-Confidence Motion that was brought by the then People’s Progressive Party opposition.
“At that stage, I had given up on everything, but now I just want to restart everything and that is something I look forward to with eager passion…I have to adjust to people ignoring me, not answering the phone when I call,” he added.
Persaud, who has been away for 22 months, said he is still “reluctant and very hesitant” to go back to his family house in Berbice.
He admitted that he is looking to restart life here and eventually plans to return to Berbice to live and intends to set up an office to continue his legal practice; he is an Attorney by profession.
STRESSED OUT
Reflecting on his time away from Guyana, Persaud said he was very stressed being away from home.
“I’ll tell you what…a few people don’t know, I had to go to a family doctor because I was so stressed out and he [the doctor] said ‘Mr. Persaud, stress is a silent killer and you have to leave Guyana aside.’ I was so stressed out; I was lost literally, afraid of going insane because I had given up everything here, I didn’t want to but I had to,” he said.
Persaud explained his reasons for staying away from Guyana while the APNU+AFC was still in government.
“I wasn’t worried about the ordinary man in the street, I was worried about [the Ministry of Public Security]”.
“I knew, I didn’t just feel it, I knew I would have been locked up and shot trying to escape or attacking police, now the control of the police are in the hands of a different person,” he added.
While noting that he will serve in the PPP government if asked, Persaud said he intends to stay out of politics for now. He noted that his relationship with persons in the APNU+AFC is nonexistent while he has friends in the PPP.
Asked about the investigation that was opened against him in relation to allegations of gold smuggling, Persaud said he doesn’t know and he doesn’t care.
“I don’t care what happened with the investigation… they were mere allegations.”
