Chanderpaul snubbed--“Are you Guyanese? ” asks local Immigration Officer

guyana times

By Avenash Ramzan

Guyana and West Indies batting legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul has complained of being scantily treated by immigration officials at the country’s main port of entry, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri. During an exclusive interview with this publication on Tuesday, the veteran left-hander also spoke of his repeated unsuccessful attempts at gaining a diplomatic passport from the Government of Guyana. Due to the nature of his trade, hopping on an aircraft is inevitable for Chanderpaul, and the former West Indies captain said he was both taken aback and amused when one Immigration Officer questioned whether he was Guyanese. The incident took place on Monday evening when Chanderpaul touched down on local soil after journeying from the United States of America on a Caribbean Airlines flight, BW 483. The Guyanese batting stalwart was returning from a gala award ceremony put on by the Indo-Caribbean Alliance in New York on Sunday evening, where he was bestowed with an ‘Icon Award.’ “When I came in last night [Monday night] I was asked by a girl, who is the Immigration Officer, if I’m a Guyanese, and I said look at the form you will see the place of birth on it. She then asked me where is Unity village [Chanderpaul’s home village], so I was left to ask if she is really Guyanese,” Chanderpaul chuckled. Chanderpaul, who has appeared in a West Indian record of 164 Test matches, and is also the second leading runscorer in both Tests and ODIs for the West Indies behind Brian Lara, explained that he had a similar experience about a month ago when he came into the country. The dogged middle-order batsman said he was puzzled by some of the questions thrown at him, especially about his identity, when huge photographs of him are placed at strategic points in the airport. “The thing is, these things keep happening. I remember last month we went out there for a West Indies Legends game in New York, and when I came back, I came out from the back-end of the aircraft, and by the time I got to the terminal it was already packed so I joined the VIP line,” Chanderpaul explained. He added, “A guy came and told me ‘you can’t be here, get out and join the queue at the back.’ I end up coming out because I don’t have a diplomatic passport, and I ended up joining the line. These are some of the things that happen sometimes, but you have to put them behind you. But I don’t have a diplomatic passport so I have to put up with these things. If people in your own country can’t recognise their national heroes then it’s a crying shame.” Chanderpaul said he has made several attempts to secure a diplomatic passport, but his efforts have so far proven futile. As such, he is seeking the relevant authorities’ assistance in becoming the holder of a diplomatic passport, just like some current and former West Indies cricketers. “I’ve asked a lot of times… I’ve never been told that I’ll get one, but I know a lot of other players have,” Chanderpaul pointed out. Chanderpaul is currently part of the Guyana Jaguars squad, which is in training for the upcoming Professional Cricket League Four-day tournament, which starts in November. (aramzan@guyanatimesgy.com)