The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) adds its voice to those who have condemned the recent wave of murders in Guyana and urges stakeholders to convene a summit to frame a response to curb these types of crime.
In a press release the WPA said, “Life has become cheap in Guyana while the law no longer offers adequate protection for the weak and powerless in our midst.” In these circumstances, women and children are the most vulnerable, it said, pointing out that there has been no conversation among the administration and political parties about poverty, crime and the protection of the weak. “These seem to be off-limits for the politicians except when they point fingers at each other. This has in turn helped to cultivate a sense of surrender and apathy among the wider population,” the party added.
The WPA contends that if the gruesome murders of Sheema Mangar and Dionne Stephens have not jolted the nation to its collective senses it worries about the country’s future as a humane space. “Guyana is fast becoming an emotionally dead society. We are faced with a crisis situation that warrants bold but consensus action,” the group said.
The WPA therefore calls on the opposition political parties to consider seriously the convening of an emergency summit on crime and violence at which legal fraternity, women’s organisations, the security forces and other civil society organisations should assemble to frame suitable response to the current situation.