Dear Editor,
The sudden rise of crime in our country is now a concern for all Guyanese citizens, and the re-introduction of long hours of daily blackouts makes it easier for thieves and criminals to escape from the police and citizens. While many voted for change they all wanted, what are we really changed from? Where is this 100-day miracle from our present administration? If we cannot change incompetence in 50 years then how can we change it in just 100 days?
I was preaching last Wednesday night and just fifteen minutes into my message there was a blackout, so we used our church generator. I went back on Thursday to church in a complete blackout to pray; just one person came from over 40 because they are afraid to walk in the blackouts. In this modern era after 50 years of recent independence in lots of exuberance we are still a backward nation when compared to our Caribbean and South American neighbours. I have travelled to many places but have never seen so many blackouts, internet failures, potholes, robberies, murders, suicides, etc, as in Guyana. We have really fallen morally, spiritually and academically; we are a failed state but we are too brainwashed by impudent politicians to accept the fact that we have been deceived by bombastic words and false promises and illusions.
We must also accept another fact, ie, that we are a nation divided racially. So many people have been removed from their jobs. Our motto says: One people, One nation, One destiny, but that is a just a past slogan which is far from the truth I see demonstrated here in Guyana.
It’s very funny that our Georgetown Mayor is 80 years old and still on a job he failed to perform in 20 years, and yet was given a national award.
What’s mind boggling is why there are so many old ministers in government. It tells me clearly that we lack vision to rule and give our younger generation the opportunity to hold ministerial portfolios. It is the young who have vigour and vision for tomorrow. Cheddi Jagan died a few years after he came into power because he was too old to lead a nation with the economic problems created by Forbes Burnham.
Thieves are all over our country from the city of Georgetown, to Berbice and Essequibo. Our new government has failed to implement a very efficient police force and better technology to catch thieves and criminals. The courts cannot protect our citizens because some clever lawyers are representing criminals, thus they are set free very easily. It’s sad that those who make the laws break the laws, because they were not victims of crime.
I seldom asked the question what is the purpose of the Guyana Defence Force? Are they defending the rights of our citizens? Are they working to protect our citizens? Or are they just sleeping, playing dominoes and getting fat? Since the police cannot handle criminals, why is it the soldiers are not out to help the police? It seems as if our President is very much afraid to authorize the soldiers in Guyana to get out of their slumber and work for their salaries.
What plans does our new administration have to tackle this crime situation in Guyana? Our President needs to address the nation on crime and blackouts, and not the Minister of State. I wonder what state he represents?
What we need is a clean police force and soldiers to protect our citizens every day. We need a house-to-house campaign to clean up drug dealers and criminals. Citizens need licensed firearms to protect themselves from bandits. We need to close down all these illegal and some legal rum shops that are a safe haven for criminal elements.
I saw on the news that some of our ministers went to Canada and the USA to invite Guyanese to return home and invest. Who will come to invest here when we can’t see the roads while driving at night? Who will come to invest here to be killed and robbed by bandits? Who will return to live here when we have no jobs to offer them? What jobs do we have for students who passed 20 subjects and our degree holders who sell in the markets and on the pave? We need spiritual vision and economic commonsense to govern and administer this nation properly.
It’s very weird that we earn less than $2000 a day and have to buy a chicken for $3000; it’s funny when our light and water bills exceed our salaries.
I remember not long ago we hosted a heads of state conference in Georgetown, and on the news I heard that police protection would be given to the foreign delegates. What kind of protection are we giving our citizens? It seems to me that our leaders are just forcing people to vote for them but they cannot protect themselves and the citizens of this land, so how can they lead and govern the nation?
What we have is too many idlers, touts, street sellers and thieves in our communities. We have now become a ghetto society full of fighting and cussing people. People are no longer safe in their homes and businesses, that’s why they are leaving Guyana like sandflies daily. It’s about time our President got serious about this crime situation and implemented more serious laws. We should remove bail. In Suriname no bail is given to anyone for a crime.
It’s about time our soldiers be placed to guard government buildings and banks, and patrol the nation around the clock like Suriname. We must accept one fact: that after 50 years of independence we have become a failed nation, failing to protect the rights and dignity of our citizens. What have we really achieved after 50 years of bad administration?
Our citizens need better wages, protection and living conditions; we are a nation too young to die from ignorance.
Yours faithfully,
Rev Gideon Cecil
