Our youths are falling by the wayside

Jul 11, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor;
In 1886, the US abolitionist Frederick Douglas said “where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”
Many of the events that have occurred over the last few years tell a sad story of Guyana. Under the last administration, it appearsthat the country was dangerously lodged on the edge of a cliff waiting either to be saved or to be pushed over. People were afraid and were experiencing incredible tragedy and life-altering trauma due to crime and gang violence.
Today, even with a change of government, the fear has not subsided. It has become embedded in society and is scaring people in their villages and communities.
In this our 50th year of Independence, crime is so rampant that many Guyanese do not feel safe in their homes, at the workplace or in the streets. The painful incidence of murders and armed robberies occasioned by gun violence have startled the nation to the reality that somewhere, the country has taken a wrong turn.
Many are stressed and distressed by the string of murders, domestic violence and child abuse that have thrown families into mourning. Our youths are falling by the wayside to joblessness and poverty and are tempted to shoot from the belly of poverty, which have been triggered by their will to survive.
The plight of the poor has been neglected, misunderstood by the ruling elite who seem unaware of the situation. The government risks losing its popularity if it continues to ignore the hardships, pain, suffering and poverty being experienced by the poor and people from all walks of life.
There is now greater uncertainty among the youths who have lost hope as a result of a string of broken promises and a failing education system in which there is no longer the appreciation for excellence. Many are sad about the disturbing events of crime that continue to flood the psyche of the people.
The national discourse is filled with an abundance of choice words including poverty, joblessness and crime that have stirred immense concern for the direction that the country appears to be travelling.
Guyana is at a crossroad and it has become urgently necessary for the people to tell the ruling political elites that they have had enough living in a lawless society. Having a just and law abiding society is essential for social well-being for the nation.
It was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said: “Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.”
The people have to be firm in order to achieve the progress that their forefathers and other pioneers had forecasted. They have to take control of their collective destiny and overcome the tribulations that are being manifested in the gruesome forms of murder, gang violence and protracted neglect.
The malady has now engulfed most of the communities while the government is marking time. Arguably, the government seems to be out of touch with the socioeconomic realities that have resulted in depressing situations across the country.
Some in the cabinet appear to be in a state of oblivion to all that pains the nation. Others are in denial and are concentrated more on protecting their turfs than on being the servants and strict guardians of the people.
Around the street corners and in the rum shops, many are of the opinion that the cabinet is more interested in power than on curbing the criminal activities and the problems which have affected the people.
The government has to show genuine sympathy and empathy for the citizens who are reeling from the plunder of the powerful and the fear of the criminals. While the powers that be cannot ignore the fear that pervades the society, effective and transformative leadership is needed to overcome it.
Asquith Rose

1 thoughts on “Our youths are falling by the wayside”

Arthur Young July 11, 2016 at 12:09 pm

“You ultimately judge the civility of a society not by how it treats the powerful, the rich, the protected. and the highly esteemed, but by how it treats the poor, the disfavored and the disadvantaged…” – Bryan Stevenson.

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