Dear Editor,
Every one of us, as I do, must share the grief and pain of the death of the eleven year-old little boy of Strathspey Government Primary School, East Coast Demerara. Editorials and Facebook have all commented on this tragedy. Predictably we can look forward to the responsible Ministers and Ministries neither listening nor learning, but instead of analyzing the root cause, we will hear the usual platitudes to trivialize a deeper matter. So we have the burden in Guyana of a Government administration that cares little about improving the overall welfare of our society. A state apparatus that is unwilling, or at worst, unable to make optimum use of our financial resources and to harmonize it with persons to carry out duties based on their competence and not party affiliation.
We’ve seen this at work in the security sector. Because of our rising cost of living and the failure of the Government to engage representatives of workers, we have untrained or ill-trained persons functioning on the rubric of security at our schools, public buildings etc. Many use it as an opportunity to sleep on the job. Because security personnel must engage in a variety of activities, to make ends meet, security is no longer security and persons are allowed easy access to these buildings and facilities. There are no nightly patrols available to the City Constabulary and the Special Constabulary. We must persuade the Government to concentrate on developing our human infrastructure. This should be seen as a small part to enhance our human infrastructure. This, to my mind, is a sensible thing to do ahead of bridges, roads, etc.
A few examples; a person guarding our Head of State at State House is overcome and disarmed but instead of dealing with an inherited weakness, our President makes an on-the-bed promotion. What message was sent to his superiors and his peers in the security sector? Of course, the Mahdia tragedy is being so to speak, swept under the carpet. Earlier, I was reminded of the old tried and trusted method of boots, baton, bayonets then bullets. Since then we have the magic of sophisticated communication systems, cameras and improved self-defense techniques. Recalled, another TSU rank guarding an advisor was found nodding after being on duty for some fourteen hours, was set to be reprimanded and charged. Only when the absurdity of having a person on duty with a firearm for that length of time was raised, I understood the rank was not charged.
For me, the seniors who would have a human being on duty for those long hours should have been disciplined. At our schools and other places, we have persons working twelve hour shifts and some of these ranks being called names and spat upon and there is no comment, no protection from our top brass. Hardly a formula for top performers. But Editor, the above is a microcosm of a public sector that is being brutalized, demonized, demoralized and damaged by the powers that be. Speaking with Mr. Earl John, one of our highly respected seniors, reminded me of the damage being done to the public sector where instead of a contraction there is an expanding cadre of contract workers at several levels. He points out for example, the Guyana Public Service Commission, for all intents and purposes has gone dormant. The Guyana Public Service Union is ignored. The Government seems to have no time for the Teachers’ Union and the Teachers Service Commission, the Guyana Nurses Association and Mine Workers Union are made irrelevant for reasons which are not obscure.
And, of course, the Guyana TradeS Union Congress is being punished and pulverized for failing to be sycophants of the Government. It is unnecessary for me to restate the issues already articulated in the letter written by Lincoln Lewis and published in Letters Column, Stabroek News, Dec 4, 3023 titled “Re-capitalise the armed services and diplomatic missions capable of delivering on the diplomatic front.” Editor, for the sake of preserving the principles of decency and democracy I hope that our current crop of leaders in office would listen, learn and act and free themselves of an apparent notion that they know all things and that wisdom is the preservation of the neophytes within the inner circle and their advisors.
Sincerely,
Hamilton Green
Elder
