Dear Editor,
So we are yet to hear what our police are doing about the report made by Mr Glen Lall. Let us get to the point: in any decent, free and democratic society, even if the Attorney General had a plausible excuse, as a matter of course he would have stepped down, at least to allow for a proper investigation. But, this is Guyana. What is troubling is that whenever a member of our elite is seen to be venal or apparently venal, our Head of State rushes to their defence, forgetting that as our President he needs to govern for all and not just those under the umbrella of Freedom House. These days the Guyana Police Force is being used as an instrument to carry out a seriously biased policy. For the similar offence some face the full force of the Force, while friends are spared. For now I share briefly some facts to show that there is a worrisome lack of consistency by the state’s law enforcement agency.
Fact 1: A top official at City Hall reports to the police that the Mayor removed the ignition key of a council vehicle. With some alacrity, three senior CID police officers arrive at the Mayor’s office for a statement from the Mayor; my experience allowed me to deal with this absurdity.
Fact 2: A city council staffer writes a letter to a reputable NGO stating that he believes the council will have no difficulty waiving certain taxes; the top official reports this to the police. The staffer who wrote the letter with the full support of the council, is harassed by the police, charged, had to find money to post bail and secure the services of an attorney to avoid being put behind bars, taken to CID then placed before the courts. Note there was no loss of funds by the council since the staffer merely expressed an opinion. In all this our efficient police never once sought the views of the elected council.
Fact 3: Allegations of corrupt deals, supported by documents and involving many millions of dollars, including the use of $500,000.00 to pay fees to an attorney on a matter that was not approved by the council and was of a personal nature are made to the police CID by the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and a delegation. Ordinary ranks of the police force begin an investigation but they are told to abort their work. Later a letter is received by the Mayor sent by the top cop saying such matters are internal and should be followed up by the M&CC constabulary.
To Mr Glen Lall, KN and many others I say welcome to the club…Remember the show? ‘Different strokes for different folks.’
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green