Latest update August 4th, 2026 12:30 AM
There was a time law meant something to the rank and file of leadership, political and otherwise
Dear Editor,
In response to Mr. Richard Francois’s letter captioned, “For too long the GPF has been allowed to behave unprofessionally”, please allow me space to respond since the writer mentioned my name in his letter. I agree in totality with the sentiments of the writer, and just wish to provide some clarification on my views regarding the use of deadly force by law enforcement.
The conversation on sensitive or emotional issues on Guyana frequently become akin to a veritable Tower of Babel Scenario, where arguments for and against an issue often extrapolate beyond the actual position of either.
For example, someone might write that for a variety of reasons they are against Capital Punishment, as I vehemently am, and the response from critics would be that they are on the side of criminals. In the same context, my arguments that it is impractical to train police and soldiers to wound someone they open fire on tend to be misconstrued as an endorsement of the abuse of force by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) over the past several years. Even though, in every letter I wrote on this subject, I made it clear that IMHO most of shootings and killings that have taken place are suspect, and needed to be investigated by a body outside the jurisdiction of the GPF.
The Police Act advises members of the Force that they are allowed to fire when they come under attack and cannot defend themselves by any other means. The Law of Self Defence in Guyana leaves no doubt that force used in response to an assault or attack must be proportionate to the assault or attack. In that context, a law enforcement officer, or law enforcement officers resorting to the use of deadly force during a scuffle with someone who is unarmed, more so a child, clearly exceed, even a favourably weighted interpretation of their authority to use force. Just wished to get this in there.
There was a time in Guyana when the law, as it is written meant something to the rank and file of leadership, political and otherwise. Unfortunately this is not the case today. Too many now respond to issues of ethical and legal wrongs and rights from morally relative positions of convenience. They tend to wax hypocritically about the importance of the rule of law when the suspected or alleged offender is of a persuasion outside the perimeter of their partisan enclave, but evolve into blind Bartholomew’s when the opposite obtains. When leaders argue, justifiably I believe, for due process for a twice convicted felon and publicly recognised narcotic trafficker, but, unjustifiably and criminally negligent I contend, are completely silent and oblivious, on and to, similar rights for those he permanently deprived of them, the society over which they preside will reflect that kind of ethical and moral relativity.
Where we are seriously deficient in the face of this kind of environment I believe, unlike our counterparts in other similar environments, is in the existence of an activist independent press that courageously take on the powers that be over these blatant and offensive attitudes to our laws, and our ethical and moral social codes.
There are many who are quick to point fingers of indictments at the US in order to rationalize or explain away some terrible happening or occurrence in Guyana. It is a response that is basically dishonest, deceitful, or being ignorantly issued forth. The President of the US can be impeached, deposed, indicted, or face a slew of sanctions for anything from abuse of power to sexual dalliance.
Senators and Congressmen in the US are indicted, prosecuted and sent to jail when convicted of crimes, regardless of the fact that their party might be in power at the time.
The actions and decisions of the President and his cabinet, by law and constitution, are subjected to the scrutiny of the press and the citizenry. Regardless of existing conduct that we might find appalling or repugnant, there are mechanisms within the Political System of the US to address them, and for the lowest of low, to challenge the highest of high over claims of wrong doing. Nothing remotely similar exists in Guyana.
In fact we have a system where the elected President becomes a veritable king in his castle, and the members of his ruling class and affiliates become Lords unto themselves, and over the serfs existing outside the gates of the political castle.
Robin Williams
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