Dear Editor,
According to a report in the September 21 edition of Stabroek News, the Region Four Chairman and Executive member of the People’s National Congress Reform, Mr. Daniel Seeram, is to be charged with assaulting his wife. Domestic violence, so widespread in our society, is completely unacceptable and it is good to see that the law can be made to move swiftly and that Seeram is going to be charged for his alleged abusive actions. This behaviour should not be allowed by anyone regardless of status. It is a criminal offence and no one should be above the law.
What is baffling to us though, is why was it necessary to get the advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as to whether to charge or not? We have dealt with countless domestic violence cases and the DPP was never consulted. Is this a new way of doing things and should we therefore expect this level of involvement of the DPP going forward when it comes to domestic violence cases? Or is it that the law works differently depending on who is involved in the alleged crime? We should not have to ask this, or to wonder if some cases are not important enough, others are too important to be dismissed because of who is involved, and yet others are dismissed precisely because they are also important, because of who is involved. The law should be applied evenly without fear or favour.
We also understand that a gun was involved during the alleged assault. According to news reports, Mr. Seeram was released on $20,000 bail in March 2022, for an alleged threat to his father in law which involved a gun. Are firearm holders allowed to use their gun in this manner? The previous incident took place just over a year ago. Why was Mr. Seeram still allowed to be in possession of a gun? And does he still have it following this latest accusation of domestic violence? We cannot allow power and status to override the justice system in Guyana.
We look forward to the outcome of this matter. We hope that Mr. Seeram’s wife was advised to apply for all the necessary orders under the Domestic Violence Act and we hope that justice will prevail. We also await news of Mr. Seeram’s letter of resignation from the chairmanship, and his recall from parliament.
Sincerely,
Susan Collymore
Halima Khan
Joy Marcus
Vanessa Ross
Wintress White
For Red Thread