Dear Editor,
I view with alarm the surveillance operation at the home of Winston Brassington reportedly carried out by SOCU which turned deadly leading to the death of GDF agent Robert Pyle, his wife Stacy Pyle, a civilian nurse, and truck driver Linden Eastman. The last thing Guyana needs now if we want to expand and enhance human rights and justice, the rule of law, inclusive democracy, social cohesion and confidence in state agencies including state security services, is reverting to any type of security apparatus which is secretive, covert and would target the children and relatives of civilians under investigation for white collar crimes. Guyana’s history of state-sponsored surveillance, harassment, violence and assassination which were the subject of the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry stands as testimony to crimes carried out by the state and quasi-state security agencies against its civilian population in fairly recent times during the 1970s to 1980s. To date there has never been any apology, acknowledgement or acceptance of responsibility for those years of political repression, dictatorship, assassination and economic deprivation. Just as there is no apology, acknowledgement or acceptance of responsibility for widespread numbers of extrajudicial killings, phantom forces and death squads, assassination, pervasive corruption, money laundering, and other illegal and criminal business practices during the last 20 years of the previous government.
While I accept that white collar crimes carried out by agents of the previous government should and must be investigated and those responsible be charged and brought to justice, the means employed to do this must be in keeping with clear written enforceable protocols which respect to the rule of law, the human rights of the individual based on international conventions, ethics and modern acceptable transparent best practices with stringent independent oversight, so as to ensure strict accountability and penalties for breaches of procedures. We, the Guyanese people, constitutionally have the responsibility to ensure that the government is answerable to us and acts as the servant of we, the people, equitably and without discrimination.
At the same time I do not accept that money stolen, acquired or received through ill-gotten means or embezzlement trumps murder, femicides, rape, sexual exploitation, robbery under arms, and other serious crimes. So I want to know where is the SOCU for these crimes? Why weren’t the police surveilling the homes of women murdered or at risk of being murdered by their intimate partners; or where were they when numerous reports of child sexual abuse are being delayed and unprosecuted through inadequate and poor police investigation leading to rapists and paedophiles walking free to rape once again or receiving million dollars bail while the children of such injustices descend into lives of despair and criminality? Where is the SOCU to investigate Guyanese women and men brutalized and beaten, robbed, set afire, sexually abused and humiliated by predators and criminals, many themselves young and who themselves are for the most part victims of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, abuse, neglect and a criminal underworld?
The issues of non-discrimination and equality under Guyana’s Constitution, reinforced by legislation and human rights conventions continue to be breached as a matter of course daily for certain categories of Guyanese, such as women, children, the LGBT community, differently abled, youth, the elderly and other vulnerable and at risk persons regardless of political party in government. Why have there been no independent audits of the social service sector ministries and agencies, including the Guyana Police Force their practices and procedures? Why are there no national special enforcement and investigative bodies like SARU financially well-resourced and staffed with the necessary expertise? Where are the independent commissions of inquiry investigating the numerous breaches of law, corrupt practices, lack of services and substandard services, femicides, high maternal and child deaths, domestic violence crimes and sexual exploitation and sexual harassment for large sections of the Guyanese population?
Why are there so many families who continue to experience cyclical and intergenerational poverty without any hope in sight? Why is it that consultations on national issues always seems as a matter of course to discriminate against those categories of persons with little normative or institutional power, while never failing to ensure that otherz who are recognized as having de facto power and societal influence continue to be well consulted, well financed and listened to?
So far there has been neglect, lack of action, invisibility and marginalization of social issues critically important to women, children and other poor discriminated and vulnerable groups within society, such as domestic violence, child abuse and other forms of violence including gender based violence.
And while the government seemed to have found local experts, most of them male, to head up audits and CoI they seem to be at a loss to find equal female expertise for economic, social and security issues affecting women, children and other vulnerable groups.
We, the historical and current recipients of inequality and discrimination, know best the structures and ideologies which contain and seek to trap us and the best solution for breaking the chains which continue to restrict and oppress us.
Yours faithfully,
Danuta Radzik
