We have fallen into a dark pit of a ‘living hell’

Aug 05, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
A few weeks ago thieves broke into my church building and stole all the fans. What amazed me is how people can stoop so low to break into a place of worship to steal by not having the fear of God.
I went to the police to report the matter they came to inspect the broken church door locks and took statements, but did not go around into the community to carry out investigations. I now have to put iron grill on the church windows and doors to prevent further ‘break ins’ by hooligans. Now my church will look like a prison.
In my conversation with various religious leaders from the Christian, Muslim and Hindu communities, I was told by these leaders that they themselves were victims of thieves who broke into their temples, mosques and churches and stole thousands of dollars worth in equipments though they have grill on their buildings. They now have to put security guards at nights. What have we really become today in our society? We have fallen morally and spiritually.
Everyday I read about thieves breaking into schools, shops, markets, homes, churches, post offices, offices, cars, choke and rob people in broad daylight, snatch and run…and the long dismal list goes on.
It seems as if people today in our country lacked the inspiration and the motivation to work hard to earn their living but just want to live free by stealing from others who are working hard. I read in the papers that thieves broke into Dr. Paloma Mohamed’s car just outside the shopping mall in Regent Street and stole her bag worth thousands or millions in bank cards, camera, and lots of valuable stuff. I read again thieves snatch a bag from a lady with $3 million in cash and over $2 million in gold. They were never caught though it happened in broad daylight.
These thieves are not caught by the police but are roaming around our city streets waiting to thief again. It seems as if the police are not equipped to catch these thieves and some of them are afraid of the thieves and bandits while some of them are shot and killed and our Police Commissioner is just talking but not really taking very serious action to protect the citizens of this nation.
I wonder why is it that the GDF are not patrolling the streets of Georgetown and they are not placed to guard government Ministries, banks, etc. Guyana is the only country in CARICOM, where our soldiers are just taught to eat, sleep, paid and get fat.
I lived in Suriname for a long time and other countries but the law and order is very high and effective in these countries. In Suriname, I used to leave my house opened and go to work.
One can park their car open with millions and leave it in the city for hours to go do shopping and nothing will be stolen because the police and soldier presence is everywhere.
Why it is our country cannot even come near to their CARICOM neighbours when it comes to police and military protection? In Suriname and Brazil people who walked the roads idly are picked up by the police and soldiers for loitering. Today in Guyana we have thousands of street hooligans, touts, and choke and rob all over the city of Georgetown.
The three card game is played at Port Mourant market every Saturday and the hooligans are robbing citizens and the police just pass by and do nothing. Loud music once again invaded our society and mini busses and the police do nothing.
What we need is a real  political change in this country. Our President is now Dr and Champion of the Earth, it’s very unfortunate that he is not a real leader and champion of Guyana where thieves and bandits are rampant in a land of lawlessness. He cannot see the garbage dumps in Georgetown and hundreds of beggars that line the streets begging in front the airline office on Regent Street.
He cannot see the amount of pavement sleepers and homeless children and school dropouts; yet he is called Dr. Champion.
I definitely believe in the words of Jesus: ‘’If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch’’.
We have fallen into a dark pit of a living hell into this nation by blind leaders. Our President is also the head of the military yet he cannot get the soldiers to patrol our country to catch thieves and criminals.
We need a house to house evaluation of every citizen in this country to pick up the dope pushers, the not working thief and the long dismal list goes on. What have we really achieved as a nation after 44 years of independence?
How do we compare ourselves with the rest of CARICOM, Europe, and the rest of the World? We are now seen as a human trafficking nation by the US, we have seen two Guyanese convicted for terrorism; we were seen again on Oprah Winfrey recently of our history about Jones Town. The name ‘Guyanese’ have become very bad. We are also now seen as a very corrupt nation and people.
Thieves are everywhere even in the high offices we have thieves and bribe collectors; so we have thieves and white collar criminals everywhere.
I hope we try and champion our cause of blackouts, garbage, thieves, drugs, rum drinking, illiteracy, before we become a nation of nobody.
Rev. Gideon Cecil

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