A dereliction of duty to ‘serve’ no need to mention ‘protect’

Aug 10, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
Today, August 10, marks exactly one year since Jainarine Dinanauth and Henry Gibson were killed, and the young, 10-year-old Ricky Jainarine went missing.
The bodies of the two men were discovered in their shattered boat on the Essequibo River the next morning. Since then, a relentless, costly, and heart-rending search by Ricky’s mother Salimoon Rahaman has failed to yield any sign of the lad.
Not long after the incident, sometime between August 20th and 22nd, Dweive Kant Ramdass was murdered on the same river, allegedly by three Coast Guard ranks. A connection between the two incidents was immediately made, with a Board of Inquiry finding that the said Coast Guard boat was on the river at the time of Dinanauth’s and Gibson’s murders. Further, paint that seemed to match the Coast Guard boat was found on Dinanauth’s shattered boat. From since September last year the Police Force is yet to complete the testing of the paint. In the meantime the three Coast Guard officers have been charged with the murder of Ramdass.
The authorities have from day one treated the Rickey Jainarine matter with seemingly little sense of concern. Rather than meet with the mother, our Home Affairs Minister asked her to fax him instead. While we can understand some of this callousness in a political context because the Government continues to sit uneasy with the Disciplined Forces, it still remains a stretch to justify what pretty much amounts to complete inaction and dereliction of duty to “serve”; no need to mention “protect”.
It is not too late for there to be a turn of heart by the authorities. Completing the tests on the paint and questioning Ramdass’ alleged killers would be a good start.
Gerhard Ramsaroop
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The incompetence of the GPF

Dear Editor,
My most sincere apology for the pleasantly stimulating heading, it would be less upsetting if I just said, complaints and suggestions for the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
I am gutted with the way the GPF responds to offences reported to them when they are committed against the common man in Guyana, it makes me wonder if corruption is not rampant since these cases have some quite obvious inconsistencies.
To emphasise my claim I will reference a few incidents that I found myself the victim of personally, and then I will offer some quite simple suggestions that you will agree would go a far way to help in solving the crime and mitigate the crime situation in Guyana.
The first incident occurred a couple of years ago as I was heading home from work on Cummings Street, where I was violently assaulted, robbed and lost a tooth in the process. Commendably in this situation it was the only isolated case where I saw rapid response from the 911.
When the police arrived on the scene, they took no evidence from the site. After taking me to Alberttown police station and taking a report, they only returned to the scene after I insisted. The assailant or someone had picked up the slippers that were left on the crime scene. This is a regular occurrence and in the newspapers subsequent days, persons on bicycles were reported committing similar forms of simple larceny in the city.
The other one occurred when a generator was stolen from a branch of an internet café. During the 17-hour between when the generator was last seen and when it was discovered missing — five persons were on the premises, that contain some quite obvious loopholes and blind-spots, that were ignored by the off duty police officer that selectively interrogated only one of the employees. I made repetitive suggestions for the police to return for my statement and talk to all the staff, but this fell on deaf ears, obviously because there was some level of secrecy.
The third matter was one where the mother of the proprietor of the said internet café, now presumptuously approached me at my place of employment in the said building and using verbally abusively language, threatened to pay someone to kill me since she is alleging that I know about the generator and I have to give it back. I reported the matter to the police station, and gave statements, since I fear for my life owing to the fact that this family has turned this matter into a personal vendetta. After a week, the police was able to get the individual to the Brickdam Police Station, where I was informed that only upon me getting the individuals who were present during the altercation between me and the offender that they can decide if the situation is serious enough to warrant charging and prosecuting her. The persons live in Kwakwani and the most that I know is that they know my aunt and cousins up there, I don’t even have names.
Should my body be found floating, know that I tried to get the perpetrator brought to justice. Before that happens I think I will team with other persons that have brains and form a private crime fighting and investigative force and an Independent Arbitratory Body.
As much as a computer scientist and a medical doctor would be encouraged to keep up to date to new trends in their fields, since it would make them more effective, police officers and detectives should be subject to upgrades. There are also many popular television shows that are relative to investigations (CSI, Law and Order, NCIS) that would give some of our otherwise biased and narrow minded law enforcement officers at least some creative scope.
How many people would agree that solving crimes and meting out just penalties would be a deterrent to criminals attempting similar offences because no-one would like to be the recipient of the retribution for being on the wrong side of the law?
Ranfred Williams
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This is no time to hurtle political egos around

Dear Editor,
It is truly heartening to see that the Joint Opposition Political Parties (JOPP) have signaled their intention of working together for the betterment of Guyana, as they prepare for Elections 2011.
At this time when Guyanese are desperately searching for an alternative to the abominable 18-year rule of the PPP/C, opposition political leadership need to rise up and demonstrate to all that they have vision, strategy, tactics, morality and wisdom to collectively rescue this nation from corrupt, unintelligent, racial and deceitful leadership.
At this crucial juncture in our political history, there is no time for political tunnel vision, ego or nonsensical pomposity. Guyana needs new political leadership and it must be done through a coalition movement.
The PNCR is on the verge of new leadership. That party must show all that it is relevant to the Guyanese political landscape. The executive leadership structures of the PNCR must be reformed accordingly to ensure that it reflects the transparency and accountability of leadership. Divisive internal party politics must be eradicated. Those who are undoubtedly the party’s best strategists and leaders must be allowed to function effectively for the good of its constituencies and other stakeholders.
I wish the JOPP every success as they collectively make an attempt at tackling the next general elections on a unified front. This is no time to hurtle political egos around! Guyana is begging to be rescued.
As the JOPP engages civil society and other organisations and groups who have aligned their visions and values with it, I sincerely look forward to the presentations that will reveal the structure of the coalition movement and the comprehensive proposal it has for rescuing this nation and stopping the rapid underdevelopment that has taken place within the last 18 years.
Law and order must return to Guyana. Corruption must be eradicated. Political leadership must be accountable to the taxpayers who pay their wages and who might have placed them in office. Racial discrimination must not remain alive and well. Guyanese must learn to vote on issues rather than race.
Guyana must develop and remove itself from the pauperized columns of the global financial ledger. Guyana needs new political leadership!
Richard Francois