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Blame the government…The results are clear, crime is confronted

Aug 20, 2008 Features / Columnists

Things have been relatively quiet; crime seems to have taken a holiday and people are once more beginning to feel comfortable. Life is what it should be in any country and plans are well advanced for the hosting of the biggest cultural event in this part of the world, perhaps second only to the carnival in neighbouring Brazil.
This event is Carifesta and when the government decided to invest $500 million there was talk about diverting that expenditure to other areas and these calls came as the entire world was trying to cope with rising oil and food prices.
But the government persevered, knowing that the investment would be worth every cent and like most investments, would bring immense rewards to Guyana. Now that plans are almost all in place people have begun to see that the decision was the correct one. As a result the criticisms have faded.
The security forces have done exceedingly well over the past few months. They faced every challenge and won because they too know that there is nothing better than ensuring that even they and their families live in a secure environment, one in which people can safely say that their homes are their castles.
This state of affairs did not materialise by magic. When the criminals tended to take control of the society the government responded in no uncertain way. It recognised that the security forces were understaffed and had resources that were far inferior to those in the hands of the criminals.
Again in certain quarters there was criticism that the money should have been spent in other areas. But the government decided that it was doing the right thing and persevered. Over three years the expenditure was in the vicinity of $1 billion and it surely was not money wasted because there have been results.
At this time when the country is preparing to host thousands of visitors, most of them strangers from afar, one could imagine the criminals seeking to enhance their reputation and in the process embarrass the country as a whole and the government in particular. Of course, the critics would have blamed the government because such a situation would have provided a lot for talk.
The government, through a number of people, including President Bharrat Jagdeo and the Home Affairs Minister, announced that the criminals would be hunted, that there would be no secure space for them and that in the end the nation would be safe.
However, these things came at a cost simply because people allowed themselves to be cowed and they remained silent even as they witnessed some of the most heinous crimes. The government had to spend money to set up community policing groups, increase mobile patrols in every part of the country and improve the investigative capability.
But outside of crime fighting there are other areas of government expenditure. For example, within recent times people would have seen a marked concentration on the roadways. Lanes are being clearly defined and there is an increase in the number of ranks to ensure that people adhere to the rules.
The government has always maintained that its people are its greatest resource and it hurt every time someone was killed senselessly on the roads. Many of these were avoidable but there is always the unruly driver who fails to take his passengers into consideration.
To help protect its most valuable resource, the government has passed legislation to curtail drunk driving. The comments by those who feel that they should consume copious amounts of alcohol and still drive, have not escaped notice.
But the fact remains that the government is bent on ensuring a safe society and sparing no pains to weed out the incorrigible.
There is one desire and it has to do with people continuing what has been started. Some believe that all that is happening has to do with the cultural event, Carifesta. This is not the case. Development is almost always hinged on something and this time around, that something is Carifesta.
Instead of seeking to blame the government, support every positive move because the end result can only be a better Guyana.

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