A dark cloud looms

Sep 17, 2011 Editorial

There was a time when fear stalked this land; when people stayed at home rather than visit the entertainment centres and the bars and pubs. This fear was caused by the gunmen who almost took possession of the country largely because of their firepower and their growing ranks.
Indeed, young men sought after these gunmen as their role models. They were illiterate for the greater part and the way of the gun seemed the easy way toward wealth and power. The government responded and after a prolonged series of interventions the law enforcers prevailed. Some semblance of calm returned to the land and life slowly returned to normalcy.
It would seem that this country is not destined for continuous peace because these days, everything is a matter of conflict and confrontation. For example, the media have been divided into what the administration sees as pro-government and hostile media. This source of conflict has led to a number of unnecessary confrontations between the administration and the private media, and between people in the private media and their state media counterparts.
We have seen media reports and blogs targeting people in the private media simply because of the antagonism with which the government views the private media. Because the reading public is now equally divided the animosity has spread into the society.
The law enforcers who have taken an oath of allegiance to protect the state, more often than not, interpret that to mean to protect Government officials. The result is that the public is now fed a diet of discriminatory behaviour on the part of the law enforcers. The very public is now directed to the treatment of Government officials who commit crimes and asked to make a comparison with the ordinary man in the same situation.
Just a few days ago a man was shot dead not far from a police outpost in the vicinity of Stabroek Market. He had gone there to purchase a meal. He was in the company of some friends who might have been equally hungry and so joined him in procuring meals.
The word is that a senior law enforcer might have been close to the shooting and may have knowledge of the perpetrator. The manner in which this issue would be treated is bound to leave a mark on the society. All the goodwill that the police may have developed is at risk of being lost. There is also going to be a lot of anger.
Accusations of cover-up are already starting to fly because hours later, the police have failed to at least detain the likely suspects.
The frightening thing is that this is the elections season. In the past, elections have always been accompanied by acts of violence. People use the frustration at losing at the polls to vent their spleen on others who may look different or who may share a different political view.
This frustration also gives rise to criminal elements who join in any street protest or agitation for personal gain. These are the people who would spark acts of looting and other forms of violence.
Needless to say, the law enforcers, having convinced themselves that they must act as harshly as possible, will attract some of the hostility. Some will remember the shooting at the Stabroek market square and react.
What is unfortunate is that for its part, the government is not moving to reduce the tension that is building. Its supporters, safe in the knowledge that they would be exempt from any action by the law enforcers are doing their best to provoke those they see as being opposed to them.
About now, the media should have been meeting to establish a code of conduct. The early acceptance of this code saw a violence free election in 2006. But this was only because the media monitors were quick to descend on the state media whenever they attempted to go the way of antagonism.
There are no media monitors this time around. Further, there will be no incumbent president. One must worry about the implication this may have on the wider society. Any president would be a new kid on the block, untested and unproven.
We have seen the rash of hostility against President Bharrat Jagdeo. He did a lot to improve the lot of the nation but he also presided over what was seen as a very corrupt regime. Further, the WikiLeaks cables did not do him justice. Instead, they served to heighten the hostility against him.
It is no small wonder that the people are worried about the peace and stability of the country at this time.

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A dark cloud looms

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