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October 29
– Last night Sharon called with the message about my father harassing me. He says it sounds like the same situation as Steve Katsaris. I told him it could create a lot of problems. He said he is not worried. I said, you want him calling all over about us?” I said he may be even call your wife and start a mess, as well as US officials.” He again said he wasn’t worried – but it was not very convincing so I think he is. I told him I better talk to him and placate him. It was very good background of what my father is like to approach him about my plane fare.
– He said that the Guyana government is strong politically but the economy is in bad shape.
– He said that the government will win the elections. Of that, he has no doubt.
– I asked about devaluation. He said he didn’t know, at first, and then he said the Prime Minister said there would not be (but I am not sure if he was quoting public statements of the PM or private remarks). He said it wouldn’t make any sense to devalue because imports are already
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restricted and that is why devaluation occurs. He said you don’t have to worry anyway because your funds here are for local expenditures. I said there is a large proportion of our funds here because we purchase spare parts and equipment from all over the world at this point and need to change it back to US dollars. I told him most of it was for domestic expenditures but we need that flexibility. He had said you don’t need to worry because most of your funds are away. I was not sure if that was innocent or probing statement.
– He said there is to be another major cutback in the public sector (govt. employees) because there isn’t enough money to pay the employees they have. It will be another round of redeployment.
– He is still solicitous of me. I didn’t want to go out, and if he does he will usually go alone if I don’t go, but he stayed home.