Hours after the inferno that demolished the Ministry of Health, President Jagdeo announced that there would be a reward of $25M for information leading to the apprehension of those who might have been responsible for the dastardly arson. The move may appear to the public to be an earnest attempt by the President to emphasise the government’s outrage at this attack and also to speed the apprehension of those behind the attack. In reality, however, the reward is a smokescreen intended to cover the absolute failure of his administration to lift the capacity of the law enforcement agencies to solve crimes of this sort.
In any normal functioning society, one would expect that in the moments after an attack of this type that law enforcement would have hunted down every single scrap and shred of evidence and that within hours there would be a clear idea of what happened and without $25M to lubricate the investigation. The Ministry of Health building wasn’t tucked away amid thickets in Region Seven. It was located on Brickdam – not very far from the police station – and easily accessible from all sides. Moreover, there were supposed to have been at least three guards in the compound. Enough had to have been seen to provide a basis for a viable scenario. Enough intelligence is eminently collectible from various sources on what might have fuelled this attack on the ministry.
Further, according to the police, unexploded Molotov cocktails were retrieved from the compound – they provide a powerful lead. One would have expected that there would have been an immediate forensic examination of the bottles for the most basic of evidence such as prints but also for other less evident clues such as whether the location of the incendiary devices indicated that they could have been lobbed from the outside or they had simply been left there or aimed from within the compound. The sighting of fire first on the upper flat sets this question firmly – could the Molotov cocktails have been pelted from street level or is possible that the fire started lower and raced upwards. These questions are usually left to fire investigators who could professionally examine burn patterns and the manner in which the building fell. Does the examination of the debris indicate a particular accelerant and is it the same as that in the Molotov? Is it plausible that the retrieved Molotov cocktails would have been in such good condition considering the intense heat that morning? Whether the competence for answering all of these questions exists in the fire service is debatable.
Perhaps what would have been more appropriate if the President wanted to help the situation would have been the immediate enlisting of fire investigation experts from here or further afield. Otherwise, the $25M will inevitably end up being at the centre of a wild goose chase. No one has confidence that the police can find anyone with the proverbial smoking gun or wearing jeans that reek of gasolene or some other fuel and with channa spilling from his/her pockets. No one believes that any witness will be able to place the arsonist at the site of the attack and successfully present testimony in court. Worse, bodies might turn up reputedly of the arsonists where the only adjudicators are gunmen and the payout is made without any due diligence as was the case with the `Fineman’ bounty.
We don’t even need to go that far. This same government has been burnt by several serious fires that not only devoured ministries but also other key buildings like the Region Four office. Yet, going all the way back to the very suspicious fire that consumed the Ministry of Public Works in the early years of the PPP’s present reign, not one of these cases has seen a serious investigation that has resulted in the prosecution of anyone. So, what purpose would a $25M reward serve other than trying to impress the public and revealing a rather ill-considered approach to the public purse? This $25M reward offer has zero credibility.
What is really needed is for this government to begin to get serious about professionalizing the disciplined forces and acting in a dramatic way to bring their skills up to par. The government has had 17 years to do this but has shockingly abdicated its responsibility in this matter. At each manifestation of its failure, no matter the sector, it affects a tone of agonized concern when really it should be taking the blame and holding its officials accountable.
On July 10, Prime Minister Hinds issued a statement in which he regretted the “great difficulties” being experienced in the Berbice power supply. The same catch words that have been there for the last few decades and certainly the last 17 years, all of which the Prime Minister has been responsible for the electricity sector, were present in his statement – No. 4 unit, No.3 unit, Canefield power station, Mirrlees, alternator etc. Hasn’t it dawned on the Prime Minister and his government that 17 years later the continuing electricity problems in Berbice and all other parts represent a serious failure that can’t be mended by hand-wringing and platitudes?
It all comes down to governance. There is an intrinsic link between the anomie that will leave the health ministry fire unsolved, the unstable electricity supply and other maladies that affect this country – poor governance. Some of it is deliberate, some of it reflects mediocrity while some stems from ignorance. Unfortunately the burden of these failures inevitably falls on the backs of the taxpayers who may well be financing a $25M payout which could have been avoided had the government been more vigilant and determined on the security front.
