Waiving the laws

Feb 01, 2011 Editorial

Something must be wrong with the legal system because increasingly, it would seem that there are laws for one set of people and another set of laws for others. Last week we reported on a spate of child sex molestation cases. These appeared to be spread across the country because one of the cases occurred in Parika, the other a few miles east of Parika, one in the city and another in West Berbice.
There have been two other cases on East Bank Demerara. In one case the villagers took matters into their own hands and only decency and respect for law and order prevented them from killing him.
These are not the only cases, however. There are two being investigated. One involves a man who reportedly impregnated his daughter who is also his granddaughter. The case of the father who molested his three year old daughter is said to be investigated although so far nothing seems to be coming of the matter.
The male homosexual teacher who molested his pupil is still to head to court. We hear that all the statements have been taken but the police are yet to institute charges. They say that they are awaiting word from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Why the file must be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions cannot be understood. If it is a case of seeking advice on paper committals then that would be appreciated since paper committals are not fully understood.
However, we feel that there is sloth in the investigation. What is clear is that by the time the matter reaches the court the marks would have disappeared from the victim’s body. The perpetrator would then challenge the medical certificate.
And so we come to two cases, both of which appear to be scripted for laws that are not applied to the ordinary people. The press reported on a schoolboy who sexually assaulted his neighbour’s three-year-old son. This boy was detained briefly but he is still to be charged. His mother is said to be an Education Officer so she is automatically excluded from the embarrassment of having her son appear in court.
This should not be. A teacher who was implicated with a female pupil allegedly committed his act after this Education Officer’s son. He has been charged and remanded. The Education Officer’s son, said to be 16-years-old and not fourteen as was reported in some sections of the media, returned to school yesterday as though nothing has happened.
We know that these days, the heads of schools cannot expel a child, regardless of what that child does. Such decisions must be taken by the Education Ministry. We are certain that the reports about the abhorrent behaviour by this schoolboy reached the Education Ministry and even more certain that someone in the Ministry of Human Services, being aware of the incident, would have reported the incident to the police.
The fact that the boy returned to school yesterday tells the society many things. It says that the Education Ministry condoned his action and therefore instructed the school to admit him. We know of cases where students did less serious things and were expelled. Their parents were not Education Officers.
One must also wonder at the fortitude of the school head. Surely she could have objected to the presence of the boy. Surely she did not. There is a lot to be investigated here.
Something smacks of corruption here. Just last week the Members of Parliament on the government benches were extremely angry when an Opposition Member of Parliament spoke of corruption. Someone needs to explain what has happened here.
And so we come to the father and his three-year-old daughter. Again there has been no move by the authorities to prosecute. We know that this person has money and operates a very profitable business in the heart of the city. This must have been his protection from any prosecution.
We often speak about people’s blatant disregard for the law and we even call on the police to deal with such persons condignly. However, when before the eyes of the very lawbreakers there is such protection against criminal prosecution, then we can be assured that there will be no change. The society will further deteriorate into anarchy.

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Waiving the laws

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