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We have a government that is no more governed by our laws

May 16, 2014 Letters

Dear Editor,
The laws of a democracy are its foundation, and establish the principles which guide the conduct of its citizens with each other. ‘Citizen’ used here encompasses all the members of society, inclusive of institutions, agencies and organizations, from churches to businesses to government.  These laws are handed down through generations, and are the means by which order is maintained in society.  The trespass against a law has various responses which are dependent of the nature of the trespass.  It can have as a consequence the necessity of having an informal conversation with a neighbor over a minor infraction to the more severe case of personal violation involving the loss of life, to crimes against the state which necessitate intervention by the court to deliver justice.
A crime against the state is an act which, in my opinion, threatens (with intent to violate) the stability and general welfare of that state, or else deliberately violates the rights of the people of that state, thereby forcing that state to exist in a state of oppression, where there is a real reduction in the welfare of that state.        While the trespass of laws between individuals, and by all organizations other than government, can find resolution in the courts, which are established and maintained by government, a democracy is presented with a much different scenario when the culprit is the government itself.
Given that the laws of a democracy are to be upheld and enforced by its government, and are its foundation and protection, then the willful violation and disregard of those laws by government constitute a crime against the state.
The disregard of one of society’s laws, and the continuation of such an act, by its government, strikes at the foundation of a democracy.  The breach of other laws by government destroys that foundation, replacing it with ‘the rule of the government,’ meaning that society’s laws cannot now protect them from the treachery of its government.
This, I submit, is the current state of affairs in Guyana.  Over the last twenty-one years or so, our press has documented willful breaches and violations of the laws of Guyana by representatives of government, with no justice being served by the courts on the part of the victims. They are numberless to me, but the evidence of these crimes is available for any who cares to consider.
The disregard of a court order by Mrs. Janet Jagan constitutes a crime against the state; the suppression of the media by government is a crime against the state; the violence meted out to a member of society by a ranking government official who continues in his office without being brought to justice constitutes a crime against the state; the documented instances of corruption that has become lawful constitutes a crime against the state; the use of criminal elements to execute ‘justice’ during the mayhem at Buxton constitutes a crime against the state; the abuse of power by government to channel wealth (e.g. the selective distribution broadcast licenses and exorbitant charge for these or similar licenses) and marginalize sections of society constitutes a crime against the state; the wilful disregard of an order of one of our highest governmental organs, Parliament, constitutes a crime against the state; the wilful misuse, abuse, and waste of the resources of our people for which the government has responsibility by ranking government officials constitutes a crime against the state.  The list can go on and on, but I leave that task to my learned friends in law and justice, whose mandate it is to protect us, who are more familiar than I with the transgressions of this government, to unreel.
We have on our hands in Guyana a situation where our government is no more governed by our laws. There needs to be a stronger effort in Parliament, the legal system and the wider society to put an end to instances of these crimes against our state and preserve our democracy.  It is not something to be trifled with.
 Craig Sylvester

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