Mayor Hamilton Green calls on the media, educators, youth activists, religious and political leaders to curb the creeping moral decline insidiously taking hold of the society, in his message to mark Guyana’s 43rd independence anniversary.

In a press release Green cautions that the media needs to “shed all pretence, bias or fear in order to lead a crusade for the truth and a moral revival.” He also warned against greed “where an individual or group seeks to possess and control material wealth and power beyond reason, and in excess of what they need for their comfort and the well-being of their family.” He said this is made worse by the emasculation of certain constitutional, judicial and municipal bodies.

Green said the absence of an Ombudsman, “a constitutional requirement, tells us something is wrong” and he urged the media to demand clear, lucid and credible explanation from leaders. The release said too leaders must explain the ill treatment of the powerless and a system that dispenses justice, seemingly to favour the nouveau riche and the privileged.

The mayor also said despite statements made by President Bharrat Jagdeo both locally and abroad concerning the environment, he needs to “seek and accept advice from those with neither an axe to grind, nor overly concerned with personal benefit.”

Further, Green said currently few inquests are held and an alarming number of murders remain unsolved. He said too the official disconnect with major drug operations such as the Roger Khan establishment suggests that something is amiss and there should be an examination of Khan’s full page advertisement and the location of illegally imported arms and spy equipment. He said the nation “must now demand the whole truth and make a collective response to greed and all evil” and religious, business, civil and political leaders must resolve to fearlessly and openly deal with these issues.