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The facts of an allegation must be objectively assessed

Jan 30, 2017 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Within hours of the signing of an executive order by President Donald Trump of the United States of America and the detention of persons arriving from Muslin countries, massive protests were mobilized outside of the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Within hours of permanent residents being told that they could no longer be allowed entry, court papers were filed demanding their release.
I am willing to bet that if those protests continue in the United States for a few more days, the protestors will be joined by person right here in Guyana.
Yet we here have so many other things which are going wrong, but which no one is willing to protest over. People are alleging abuse and victimization and oppressive measures being imposed on them, and there have been no protests over any of these measures.
One of the reasons why this happens is because of the divisions within our country. Politicians have a way of deflecting criticisms from themselves by simply accusing their accusers of having links with the other side of the political divide. Once this happens, half of the persons in the country agree with the accuser and the other half with the accused.
No one takes the time to objectively examine the facts to see who may be telling the truth, or who may be lying. The assessment, of the facts, which take place, is invariably colored by political considerations. This is the downfall of Guyana and the reason why civil society is so weak.
Right now there is a controversy brewing within the chambers of the Ministry of Justice. The Deputy Solicitor General is leveling certain accusations. This person is a tenured employee. She cannot be dismissed at the whim and fancy of anyone. There has to be due process undertaken by the Public Service Commission.
She has made certain accusations. People need to decide whether the accusations have merit or are without merit. The best way of doing so is to objectively assess what is being said. But Guyana’s stark political divisions make that difficult but not impossible.
We have seen, for example, a small group of persons protesting against a government Minister over comments she would have made on a matter. We have seen the PPP protest what they saw as attempts to evict the tenants of Red House. We have seen counter protests being organized.
Protests because of Guyana’s vicious political divide never become large enough or sustained enough to be able to bring about change. What happens therefore is that those who are aggrieved go away and lick their wounds but they never quite can bring closure to the injustices they suffer because they never obtain justice.
We have a whole country of persons walking around therefore with chips on their shoulders because of some wrong that they are suffered or that of someone they know. It is a heavy burden which the nation nurses. These scars of injustice are within them forever.
A country cannot develop when so many people are carrying around such scars. This is holding back our country because people do not wish to give of their fullest to a country which has not addressed their grievances or at best sweep these grievances under the carpet.
Too many accusations of wrongdoing in public administration are not being independently investigated. In such instances, people feel that they are at the mercy of an all-powerful state and that they have no remedies against the caprice of official action.
It is hoped that in the present instance involving the Deputy Solicitor General that the President will order an independent investigation into the allegations made so that all concerned can feel that a sense of justice and fair play has been served.
If this does not happen quickly, then perhaps civil society, especially our women’s organization can organize protest action to demand such an investigation. Perhaps “a fit and proper person’, a retired judge, can be asked to head such an investigation.

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