THE PROBLEM OF SUICIDES IN GUYANA

Sep 07, 2013 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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I am surprised that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is not calling for a Commission of Inquiry into suicides in Guyana. Of late it seems that APNU has been passing numerous motions in the National Assembly calling for all COIs into all manner of problems.
Just recently APNU moved a motion calling for a Commission of Inquiry into river deaths. This move was described as serving only to devalue such bodies since commissions of inquiry were not intended to be employed for any and every situation.
Commissions of Inquiry are usually used in relation to a specific incident, such as the shooting to death of protestors as was the case with last year’s tragedy in Linden, or it can relate to a series of related incidents such as the Commission of Inquiry that was launched into violence after the 1992 general and regional elections. The PPP also launched commissions of inquiry into a sea defense project and into a breach of the East Demerara Water Conservancy.
COIs fall into a broad range which could include inquiring into administrative decisions or into the exercise of authority or power. However, the primary purpose of COIs is to determine facts, gather information, settle contentious issues that are in dispute and to make recommendations where necessary.
The PPPC record on the use of this important mechanism has been poor. Major tragedies occurred. These tragedies ought to have been the subject of commissions of inquiry. But none was established.
This sadly remains one of the signal failures of the Jagdeo administration and one in which the combined opposition with its gifted one-seat majority is no doubt attempting to reverse.
However, APNU must appreciate the distinction between a Commission of Inquiry and a Commission. It must also appreciate the nature of the circumstances and seriousness of such circumstances which should give rise to a Commission of Inquiry.
Not every incident justifies a commission of inquiry and the real purpose of these inquiries is to ascertain facts and in some cases make recommendations. Commissions on the other hand are used to examine more broad based and generalized problems rather than an incident or a series of related incidents.
We have had in British Guiana a number of commissions appointed, the most notable of which were the Venn Commission and the Waddington Commission. In 1948, the Venn Commission was established to study the problems of the sugar industry, and in 1950, the Waddington Commission was appointed to examine the issue of a constitution for the colony.
Under the PPPC, there was established a Disciplined Services Commission whose recommendations were left to be incrementally implemented at a snail’s pace, once again one of the monumental failures of the Jagdeo administration.
APNU has recently been moving motions for COIs when in some instances what should have been requested were commissions. It is true, for example, that there were a series of boating mishaps recently in Guyana. But these mishaps were not related incidents and therefore it was not appropriate to call for a commission of inquiry into these accidents.
What may have been more plausible would have been to call for a Commission to study marine safety. This would have been far more appropriate and would have demonstrated that APNU understands the difference between a Commission and a Commission of Inquiry. At present, APNU has raised an issue which for many years was swept under the carpet by our political leaders. That issue concerns suicide. Guyana has a high incidence of suicides and it is known that this social problem is particularly acute within the East Indian community. It is a problem that requires detailed study, investigation and analysis.
Unfortunately, parliament is in recess and therefore cannot at this stage move a motion to call for a commission to delve into this issue. It is however hoped that once parliament convenes that such a motion would be moved and hopefully there would be consensus in appointing a commission to examine the issue of suicides in Guyana.
In 2011, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago convened a committee to inquire into the causes of criminal behaviour in that country and to propose solutions to the challenges posed by criminality. The report of that committee, entitled No Time to Quit: Youth at Risk is a most impressive, but by no means uncontroversial document. It is a work worth studying by our own parliamentarians and can be of tremendous value in terms of the methodology employed and the scope of the work of the committee.
Since suicide in Guyana is recognized as a serious problem, the President should launch a commission (or committee) to delve into this issue in the same way as the Ryan Committee dealt with crime in Trinidad and Tobago.
And if the opposition is concerned about finding a solution to this problem, rather than merely using the issue of suicide to hammer the government, then it should move for a commission to study suicides in Guyana, and more importantly to provide the resources to fund such a study.

 

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