Guyana Govt downplaying crime situation

Dear Editor,

Crime is at an all-time high in Guyana. Since the Coalition Government took office last May this scourge has taken a meteoric rise reaching epidemic proportions. However the government is downplaying this epidemic with lots of talk that this is not the case; they have even provided us with statistics to support their point but all right thinking individuals – even if you have half a brain – can testify to the fact that Guyana is reeling from this crippling effect of crime.

Hardly a day passes that you are not stunned by the news of another armed robbery, many times fatal. A home, a business, someone who has just come from the bank or an innocent person walking by with jewellery, being relieved of your cell phone—we are all at risk of being robbed.

This is the reality of what our country has become, and yet for all of this the authorities are saying “it is peace and quiet, Guyana is a lovely place.”

Crime, especially gun crime, has been the order of the day because of the following reasons: From the get go crime has been politicised by the Government of the day. While in opposition they accused the PPP/C Government of being too hard on crime and criminals while ridiculing the Government’s crime fighting plan.

At the same time they viciously attacked the police for their efforts at getting the situation under control. They dogged their efforts at every turn nothing that what the police did was good enough for them. So, in effect they whittled away at anything sane where crime fighting was concerned.

This tactic was visibly evident when the last Parliament was convened, when the president went on a tirade at the PPP/C Opposition. He claims that the opposition is responsible for crimes in Guyana and that they “were killing Black youths” when they were in Government.

He even quoted stats to beef-up his position, stating that 400 young black men were murdered by the PPP/C regime.

Now, I do not know where the president got his figures from, but I am quite sure that he was playing a very dangerous race game, while building up hate in the Black community. Instead of bringing something of worth to tackle crime, here we have a president lambasting the opposition, adding salt to the wounded populace.

With nothing sensible to offer the nation the PNC-led Coalition is calling crime by a new name. Further to this issue is the president’s very friendly affiliation to criminals using the euphemistic term “petty criminals” when he released 60 of them at his inauguration and 40 more, bringing the grand total to 100 persons who in his words committed “petty crimes.”

Even when you look at it from the strategic standpoint of the judiciary coming on board with tougher sentencing for serious crimes this present government has sent the signal it would not be hard on sentencing.

Thus, they have paved the way for criminals to laugh at the justice system.What we have now is the innocuous sentencing of gun toting bandits.So, the rampage is on get a gun and terrorise the populace, kill, steal, loot and expect little, if no punishment in return. Guyana is in for the long haul.

With Christmas coming and an estimated increase in cash flow, my bleak forecast is a horrible holiday period awaiting us. I will also tell you this: we have a return of “the blackouts” which makes the nefarious activities of criminal elements even more severe.

Are things getting better?

Are we on to “the good life?

A resounding no! We are in a long night of sorrow.

I rest my case.

Neil Adams