Crime and corruption continue to define current day Guyana

Jan 06, 2011 Letters

---

Dear Editor,
Guyanese, home and abroad look forward with much anticipation and interest to 2011. A year that many believe that real change will come to the nation as the people will ensure that good governance becomes a reality, once again.
The year 2010 for most Guyanese has been nothing but yet another 12 months of heightened criminal activities. We have seen banditry in all forms, robbery of the most vicious kind and murder of the most unimaginable kind.
We have witnessed Sheema Mangar’s gruesome death, all for a cell phone, we have again, witnessed the robbery and murder of several businessmen, we have experienced the horrific murder of a child, Neesa Gopaul.
In 2010 execution style killings returned with much more vengeance; in one night five including a baby were gunned down, in Cummings Lodge. Days after a man laid lifeless in front of his premises with his stomach burst open by no less than 20 gun shots, according to reports; days after another four gunned down in Georgetown, by men waiting in a car. Guyanese have live to see the day when children are charged as terrorist, when children are suspects in major criminal acts.
It appears that a child or teenager is involved in one of every three gun crimes. We ended the year with some kidnappings and ransom demanded. A new year has come and major crimes committed years ago remain unsolved, I speak of the execution of Ronald Waddle, the slaying of Minister Sawh and his siblings, the Kaieteur News massacre, the Agricola beheading and murder mayhem, the Bartica and Lusignan massacres, the Lindo Creek slaughter, and so many more.
Apart from the brazen criminal attacks of 2010 Guyanese are reminded of how corrupt a nation we have become; the Auditor General’s Report has consistently reminded us of this state of affairs.
Volda Lawrence MP, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, in her presentation of her committee’s report of the 2006 Auditor General Report had this to say; “… collusion does exist between officials and various budget agencies such as ministries and contractors, to rob the nation of taxpayer’s money.
In her November 18 presentation to the National Assembly, Lawrence opined that almost every year there is overpayment to contractors of hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars and in many instances the agency fails to recover those monies, but yet the said contractor is given even more contracts”.
Crime and corruption continue to define current day Guyana, while those in authority seem to be either ignorant to the facts, oblivious to the reality, or remain unconcerned or clueless as to how to govern Guyana. Whatever their dispositions, Guyanese are fed up and tired of living in a state where crime and criminality continue to define how they live day to day.
Despite the deleterious national security situation the PPP/C Government has refused every kind of international help offered, to fix this system. The British offered their money and expertise to reform the Security System but the Government, through the H.P.S, Dr. Luncheon, tells Guyanese that the British wants to run the Guyana Government’s show, so there went the help, and we are left with continuous mayhem. Guyanese must, therefore, ask the obvious question, why?
Many international bodies, of good repute, pronounce on the state of corruption in Guyana. Transparency International has reported in length on this sad state of affairs, but of course the Government claimed that the report was wrong.
Guyanese must therefore, ensure that they make 2011 the year when good governance must be restored to Guyana lest we continue to reap the unjust rewards that comes with an incompetent regime.
With a large percentage of our voting population being young people I am confident that real change will come. I was personally, heartened when young people from all parts of Guyana joined the campaign, in January 2010, to drive the registration process. These young people came out, when GECOM failed to provided direction, via the local media regarding registration, to ensure that they motivate Guyanese to turn out and register to vote.
They joined the PNCR on the ground knocking doors and doing volunteer work in the communities to inform people about the registration process. Hats off to these young people, and I wish to say how encouraged I was when the high school children took time off to get involved to get their peers 14 years and above to register. These young people motivated me and sparked a new flame of hope in me. Our task now is to ensure that we continue to encourage and motivate everyone to get involved in the election process, and to turn out and vote to ensure that real change comes in 2011.
God’s richest blessings and a productive New Year to all!
Lurlene Nestor

---

---