The factors that drive suicide in Guyana

Oct 24, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor;
The mental health professionals in Guyana are scratching their heads to understand and explain why more people in Guyana want to kill themselves than in any other country in the world; Guyana has the highest per capita suicide in the world.
Guyana is not the poorest nation in the world although it is the second poorest behind Haiti in the Western hemisphere. Nevertheless, it has a higher suicide rate than Haiti. Of course 28 years of PNC misrule and 23 years of PPP have reaped havoc on the economy of the country. And we are listed as among the poorest nations although in terms of resources we probably rank among the top twenty five.
So why do we have the highest suicide rate? The United Republican Party (URP) would like to suggest that our prevailing lack of political hopelessness is compounding our suicidal problem.
So government must address feelings of hopelessness. A dearth of hopelessness and dead-end expectations has gripped this nation for many years and this could have contributed to rising suicide over the last several decades.
Those who could flee are fleeing in droves, while those who are unable to satisfy the qualifications for migration are left in the economic and political squalor that our leaders have created for us. These realities further compound any other reasons that exist for our suicidal depression. Many rather die than live in the depression.
The corruption of PNC under Burnham and Hoyte and of PPP under Jagdeo and Ramotar decimated the psyche of the Guyanese populace. The negativity, cronyism and blatant thievery, coupled with the pervasive crime and lawlessness made life in Guyana very difficult. The masses were tired and they voted for a change. But there is disappointment and rising hopelessness.
Now Granger and his crew have come in. And would you know they have made a bad situation worse. The economic situation (an additional stress on the minds of those with suicidal tendencies), steadily grows from bad to worse.
Additionally, the President is recorded as saying that his government is not particularly concerned with the plight of the rice farmers or youths (two of the groups with the highest suicide rates).
More recently, the Government seems to be enjoying the constant battle between themselves and the public servants and the teachers. It is as if these current political leaders are on a mission to frustrate workers and other citizens of Guyana.
Looking around, many have been terminated from their jobs by the government. Also, vendors have been moved from their place of business. Many vendors are now out of a job. More young persons are unemployed since the change of government.
The effects of crime are being felt more severely (the government says that crime is down but the population thinks otherwise). Duties and taxes have all gone up. Exports are significantly down and the small man’s backtrack hustle has been decidedly interrupted by the GRA officials now stationed at the unofficial ports of entry. Everywhere one turns, one sees a country steeped in stagnation. People are now asking folks in the Diaspora to send remittances so that they could live.
The night spots are now being frequented and bursting at the seams by more and more folks who are not even bothered about meeting their more pressing commitments.
Correspondingly, we are experiencing a rise in alcohol related suicides. Yet this government seems oblivious and unwilling to implement any policy that is outside of their miniature boxes.
The professionals and statisticians are desperately trying to dissect the reasons for Guyana’s unexplainable high suicide rate. However, while they do, the URP would like to ask those doing the research to look into whether or not the continued hopeless – inflicted on the Guyanese people by their successive Governments – is not playing a major part on our high levels of depression.
In addressing the growing and pervasive suicide problem in Guyana, President Granger once said, “Happy people don’t commit suicide.”
The United Republican Party has concluded that the members of his government will therefore never commit suicide. The President has fattened the purses of his Minister to guarantee that they remain happy for a long time. However, thanks to their policies, coupled with their incompetence, they can expect the suicide numbers to remain high among the rest of us.
Dr. Vishnu Bandhu
Leader, URP

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