The shoe is on the other foot

May 18, 2012 Letters

Dear Sir,
I wish to comment on the article published in S.N on Monday 14th May, 2012 p.12 titled “Police Abuse of Law-Abiding citizens a deep-seated problem”, by the former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran.
The Public is aware that Mr. Ramkarran has not brought a new discovery to the forefront for this has been a sore topic in the eyes and ears of the Guyanese public. The abuse by the Police has been spoken of and condemned in no uncertain terms by just about every section of this society.
This is a good time to remind the public that one of the roles of Government is to prevent unjust policies or practices. In my view and I am sure in the view of most sane Guyanese, the Governing party for the past 19 years or so has failed miserably in this area. This Government has lost the moral authority to pronounce on any wrong doing by members of society.
Why? Because it has encouraged and endorsed criminal activities. One only has to recall the well documented trial of Roger Khan in the United States. The evidence in this case fingered a present serving Minister of this Government as permitting the said defendant to purchase the equipment used to aid criminal activities.
In any decent government this Minister would have been long gone. But instead he has been rewarded by yet another term in office. On another occasion another Minister was caught red handed giving support to criminals. What this Government did? They rewarded him by posting him to India, I suppose he excelled in his job so they rewarded him with an overseas appointment.
Yet another serving Minister of Government, a few years ago, was caught up in the Law Books scam in the Ministry of Home Affairs. What did this Government do? They rewarded him by giving him a Ministerial position. This is enough evidence for anyone to conclude that the idea of this Government taking the forefront and leading in the area of Law and Order seems very much an impossibility, their ideas are spent.
In the article Mr. Ramkarran claimed that one of his sons, an Attorney-at-Law was ordered out of the Police Station by one who appeared to be an arrogant Policeman. But what about the abuses that left countless mothers shedding tears for their children who perished at the hands of criminals who are on record as saying they worked for this Government?
It must be noted that I am in no way trivalising the issue raised by Mr. Ramkarran, in fact I believe it is a very important one. However, I also believe that it ranks pale in comparison with those of which resulted in family members shedding tears for loved ones.
This Government has become confrontational. Anyone who opposes its views or initiates a discourse with a view to bringing order, decency and justice to society have been attacked vigorously. Even the Government chief spokesman, a man who has been known to carefully choose his words, said recently in relation to the Budget cuts and I quote “the battle may have been lost but the war has now begun.”
Ray Phillips.

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