Latest update April 4th, 2025 6:13 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

Time out!

Oct 05, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

What sort of human being is going to cut off the head of a schoolgirl? What depraved individual is going to do something like this? How can someone treat a human being like a fowl and simply cut their neck off? How can the individuals who carry out such heinous crimes sleep at nights? Or rather, how can they live with their conscience knowing that they have cut short the life of another individual and moreover someone who has only lived a fraction of the average life span in Guyana?
Following the gruesome discovery of the headless body of that young girl this past weekend, there is going to be a great demand for the death penalty to be carried out in the country. But is this going to change anything in our society? Some will argue that once you take the life of someone and you are convicted and have exhausted all your appeals, then you ought to be sent to the gallows. But is this not responding with the same violence that we are condemning?
There are going to be calls for the State to “hang them high”, but has hanging anyone ever solved the problem of violence in our society? If it did, then perhaps all it would take for violence to end is for the State to carry out the sentences meted out by the Courts and place death-row inmates in the hands of the hangman.
What this country needs is to slow down. Things are going too fast. People are moving too fast and some are getting there faster than others and because of this, those left behind are trying to catch up. And because the crime-fighting capabilities of the country are weak, they are getting away with their murderous deeds. We need to have a Day of Rest specifically to end the violence that is taking so many lives in our country. We need to go back to the time when at six o clock each day, people would retire to their homes rather than being on the road at all hours. We need to stop all this Sunday shopping and the opening of businesses outside of the hours stipulated under the law.
But who is going to enforce these laws when the political elite are now hand in glove with the economic elite and therefore not likely to want to anger the propertied class in Guyana?
When a schoolchild is going to be slaughtered in this way it says that the problem is not just about weak law enforcement. The problem is about our lifestyles and about our own attitude towards things within our society.
When a young bank employee can be killed for a cellular phone, what this says is that there are people out there who have little regard for human life. But it also states that people are so possessed in having what they have not worked for and they feel that they have an excellent chance of getting away with it, that they will take to crime to get what they want, believing that they will not be brought to justice.
When Guyanese can sit in a speeding minibus knowing that their lives are in danger and say absolutely nothing, it shows that we are a society that is in need of a serious rethink.
All Guyanese have to be involved in the process. A few days ago we learnt that a group of religious leaders are concerned about domestic violence and plan to do something about it. Good for them. They need our full support.
Every Guyanese must get involved in ridding our country of the situation whereby each day we awake to learn of another unnatural death. We cannot get involved unless we stop what we are doing and look around. We need to do this. We need a Day of Rest against violence and we need for that day to be a national holiday.

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| March, 31st, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

 

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Saints and GTI dominate as YBG Georgetown Regional Conference continues

Saints and GTI dominate as YBG Georgetown Regional Conference...

Apr 04, 2025

Kaieteur Sports- The Georgetown Regional Conference continued in thrilling fashion on Wednesday at the National Gymnasium hardcourt, with dominant performances from Saints Stanislaus and Government...
Read More
Carty misses ton, Hamilton (80) sets up tense battle as Harpy Eagles speed ace Alimohamed bags 5

Carty misses ton, Hamilton (80) sets up tense...

Apr 04, 2025

Annandale Sec’ dominates latest fixtures in Region #4 leg of the Jagan Memorial Windball Competition

Annandale Sec’ dominates latest fixtures in...

Apr 04, 2025

GPF FC to tackle Slingerz tomorrow as GFF Elite League Season VII continues

GPF FC to tackle Slingerz tomorrow as GFF Elite...

Apr 04, 2025

Permaul’s Trading & Distribution joins forces for the 2025 O40s T20 tournament

Permaul’s Trading & Distribution joins...

Apr 04, 2025

All set for Rotary Club of NA Childhood Obesity Prevention Inter Secondary School Tapeball Cricket competition final and semifinal today

All set for Rotary Club of NA Childhood Obesity...

Apr 04, 2025

Features/Columnists

  • The reciprocal tariffs

    Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has once again proven his talent for making the indefensible... more

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]