Latest update January 3rd, 2025 4:30 AM
Feb 11, 2011 Letters
Dear Editor,
Everyday I log on to read the News online out of Guyana, and everyday, the stories are predictably the same: The government is accused of misusing taxpayers’ money; a road or bridge that was recently built, is now broken and in need of repairs; a motorist is killed recklessly speeding or kills some innocent bystander, while intoxicated; a young schoolchild is sexually molested by a relative or teacher; President Jagdeo is once again out of Guyana, leaving behind someone else to run his Administration; Freddie Kissoon continues his unrelenting attacks on the government; while Lurlene Nestor and B. Beniprashad Rayman continue to write letters shamelessly, in defence of PNCR Leader Robert Corbin.
The News read like a photocopy of the previous days: Some poor soul is murdered somewhere in the country; bandits broke into a family’s home, robs them at gunpoint, and shoots a member of the household dead; a victim is relieved of his hard earned savings soon after making a withdrawal from a bank, and the robber is believed to have been tipped off by someone in the bank.
Caught up in all this, is a remigrant, who recently returned to his native land, or an overseas-based Guyanese on vacation. The recent spate of brutal attacks and robberies on overseas-based Guyanese are very disturbing at best, and will have a devastating effect on whatever efforts are being made to promote tourism and remigration.
There will always be the hard-core Guyanese who’re willing to risk their personal safety to return home to see relatives and friends, but I predict if this trend continues, most will be discouraged from doing so, and the Administration’s Remigrant Programme will suffer immensely.
Remigrants seem to be the preferred target now of everyone. They’re being robbed and killed by bandits, with total disregard of the hard work they’ve done in adverse weather conditions and the sacrifices that Guyanese living overseas endure to save some money for retirement in the place of their birth. And now, even the Ministry of Home Affairs seems to be getting into the act, thinking we’re dumb enough to pay US$35,000 for a house-lot that’s only 8,000 square ft. in size, when Jagdeo, his ministers and friends of the Administration have all secured 1 acre lots, almost 5 times the size offered to remigrants, for a lot less…US$25,000. If this is not robbery, what else do you call it?
As an overseas based Guyanese, I am very concerned with the deteriorating quality of life issues affecting our people: Low wages; joblessness; child beggars; crime and prostitution. The government of the day is directly responsible for solving these social ills, and this is where our focus should be. Denying we have a serious problem here will not help. For despite what Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee may say in public, he cannot actually believe Guyana to be a safe place, if he does, he’s obviously not reading the local newspapers.
Giving away 90,000 computers to poor families will not alleviate these crises either, for without jobs, people are becoming more desperate and daring. Rohee needs to pull out all the stops get adequate funding from Parliament for the Guyana Police to get the job done. They must be given all the tools and manpower to stop this crime wave. They need money to recruit, train and to install a modern hi-tech computer network. They need surveillance cameras throughout the city, and if this is not already implemented, there is an urgent need to setup a “Tips Hotline” where anyone with information of a crime can call anonymously if the person wishes to conceal their identity, or the tipsters would be guaranteed rewards with the arrest and conviction of the criminal, by identifying themselves with the knowledge that all information given will remain confidential.
All Guyanese living at home and those visiting from abroad, need to feel safe without the fear of being mugged in their homes or while leaving a bank. And If Minister Rohee cannot handle the job, he should not wait to be rejected at the polls, resign now.
Harry Gill
Jan 03, 2025
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