Guyanese nationals residing in the United States who plan to travel home for the celebration of the nation’s Golden Jubilee of Independence in May 2016 are concerned about crime here, the New York committee overseeing planning stated yesterday.
“This angst derives from the daily deluge of news stories on violent crimes in Guyana; particularly robberies, felonious assaults and homicides”, a release from the group said.
The group said that over twenty-five thousand nationals from the US alone, plan to travel home around the period of the Jubilee celebrations.
“This will be a tremendous economic boost. However, media reports create the perception that crime is pervasive and unrestrained. This is engendering fear and deterring travel to Guyana”, it said.
The Committee added that it is aware of efforts by the government to combat crime and that effective crime fighting strategies have been implemented yielding significant results. However, it said that this information is not filtering out to the diaspora.
“The Committee is therefore urging the government to disseminate information on its successes in crime fighting and prevention. The government should also swiftly adumbrate intended measures to assure public safety during Jubilee celebrations. This would guarantee overseas nationals that the government is seriously addressing the issue and that Guyana is safe to visit. Moreover, we recommend that Overseas Missions be equipped to disseminate this information”, the release added.
Among the committee members are Rickford Burke and Janice Hall.