Incident on Monday, January 3, makes for a terrible future in Guyana

Jan 05, 2011 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Are the police afraid of the political directorate in Guyana? The answer is yes. By political directorate we do not mean the bosses themselves but the families, relatives and friends. But it is not only that the police are afraid of the rulers of the land. They are prepared to engage in unprofessional conduct if called upon by the corridors of power.
On Monday afternoon, January 3, 2011, my nephew called me to say that he was struck down by a driver right outside his gate, in Pike Street, Kitty, and that he was in terrible pain. I arrived fifteen minutes after and saw him in agony on the road. A police car was there with three “black clothes” officers and a large crowd.
My nephew showed me the accused driver. I recognized him as the son of one of Guyana’s powerful ruling politicians who holds a top public job. The crowd was agitated and was threatening the gentleman, accusing him of insensitivity and arrogance.
I approached him for an explanation and he bluntly told me he didn’t want to speak to me. From the police reaction, it was clear that they knew his identity and were not prepared to interview him. The “black clothes” officers summoned the Kitty Police station traffic ranks.
A corporal came in a car and immediately took my nephew to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The accused driver drove away and the traffic rank yelled out to the “black clothes” unit to stop him. The injury was assessed by the bone specialist, Dr. Watson, as serious, and would need intervention surgery in one week’s time and my nephew would not be able to walk on that lower limb (left leg) for another nine months.
Unfortunately the Georgetown Public Hospital did not have crutches to offer him.
The driver in question drove by the police station around 19:00 hours, saw the state of my nephew’s leg, but didn’t even come up to offer a word of concern. His vehicle was not lodged at the station.
My relative is a poor father who works as a gas station attendant. At the Kitty Police Station, Mark Benschop arrived. By this time, news had spread in Kitty about the name of the driver. It was time to leave the station after statements were given by my relative and an eyewitness. My nephew wanted to know who the “erring” driver was.
By this time I didn’t reveal to Benschop the name of the other party. I told the investigating traffic rank that my nephew requested the name of the driver who broke his leg. She refused.
This was shocking. My nephew will not be able to walk for another year, struck by a vehicle-owner whose identity is being concealed from him. By this time Benschop was in a rage. The traffic rank informed us that she would let the commander of the station, Mrs. Goodman, make that decision.
I went into Superintendent Goodman’s office and she indicated that she has to speak to her superiors, but not in my presence. I was then informed that the name of the driver could not be conveyed to me.
Mark Benschop then requested the presence of attorney Christopher Ram. After ten minutes of waiting, he arrived, requested the name. He was given only a last name. No address. No occupation.
The next day, (yesterday), the police turned up with him outside my nephew’s home to take measurements. In my presence, this young man refused to cooperate with the traffic rank. In my presence, the gentleman refused to show the traffic rank where he would put his mark.
These were his words; “I don’t know how you could ask me that; you want me to guess. A meek and mild policewoman just shut her mouth. I called attorney Christopher Ram and requested him speak to the policewoman. He did.
Where we go from here? I am not optimistic.
This is the state of Guyana today. It is my unshakeable belief that the police acted this way because of the status of the accused driver. It is my belief too that Mrs. Goodman was instructed to give just the last name. The story of the untouchable niche that politically powerful people in this land occupy is known to every citizen in the land.
I saw the disgust on the faces of the three “black clothes” officers. I saw the same expression on the faces of the junior ranks at the station. They all heard Mrs. Goodman’s message – Mr. Kissoon we cannot tell you the person’s name. This is a country gone horribly wrong.

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Incident on Monday, January 3, makes for a terrible future in Guyana

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