A bullet, a magistrate, a road, a sign

Nov 18, 2017 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

We had two horrible prison mayhems that gave this county a hideous image on the international scene. One will remain one of the most violent incidents in the history of the CARICOM countries – the central prison was burnt down.

In the other one, 17 inmates were burnt to death. Surely, we cannot have such uncivilised leadership in the 21^st century in a country that cannot see that circumstances could evolve to give us another horror show.

We are seeing the coming of that plague and our leadership may indeed be so psychologically bereft of rationality that such minds pose a danger to the continuation of life in this country. I am not one who is soft on crime (just last week, my daughter’s very close friend was robbed). The most left wing radical anywhere in the world would be disgusted about the crime rate in the 21^st century. Maybe all in Guyana want criminals to be punished severely; some should never be released. A majority wants the moratorium on the death penalty to be lifted.

But any logical mind would question the remand of an accused for the possession of a single bullet. Any rational mind would know that the committal of a crime has certain circumstances by which you judge the accused. How can you commit a felony when there is just one bullet found on you? There is no large quantity of ammunition, there is no gun, there is no machete, there is no steel rod found on you when the police came up – just one, I repeat, one bullet. The police will charge because they say under the law possession of even one cartridge is illegal. But the magistrate has latitude to decide on bail or remand.

Magistrate McLennan remanded the man. In reporting the case, this newspaper stated; “…the prosecutor did not disclose any facts about what transpired…however the objection to bail was upheld… Figuerio told the court he had gone to Lethem to visit his mother.” We are heading for another prison tsunami if we keep packing people in jail for offences like these? Why is this man on remand when no circumstances were explained to the court? Is there something seriously wrong about the mindset of the magistracy that we need to question as a nation before another catastrophe strikes again? Enter Khemraj Ramjattan.

We have a titular Prime Minister who is about to ride out in the sunset. He shows no interest in saving Guyana. We have a president that is certainly not far behind Nagamootoo. Both of them could say why we should comment on magisterial decisions when you have two subject ministers – Ramjattan and Basil Williams.

Ramjattan did say after the second prison disaster that the country needs to look at sentencing. Since then those accused that are first offenders have gone to jail.

This is Guyana. We simply have become a psychologically warped country where people exist and their existence has no ultimate meeting. Yesterday, this gentleman came up to my car as I was about to leave the National Park. He said his name is Tyrell Morrison and lives on William Street, Kitty.

According to this gentleman, he is unable to get the Minister of Public Infrastructure and the higher authorities there to complain against the destruction of his road.

He said because of the repair to the Kitty Public Road outside the Kitty Pump Station at Clive Lloyd Drive, westbound traffic on the Kitty Public Road is diverted to David Street to come out onto Vlissengen Road. He explained that because of the traffic on David Street, huge vehicles like rice trucks, construction lorries, and container trucks are using William Street instead.

It is too narrow a road for such traffic and the road is breaking up. School children run helter- skelter when these large vehicles are passing. He says only Minister Jaipaul Sharma promised to look into the situation but William Street is breaking up fast. I told him; “Relax, this is Guyana.”

Finally, all the Ministers including the Prime Minister and the President, and all the senior leaders in the police force must have seen this shambolic anomaly. If you are travelling west on Carifesta Avenue when you meet the traffic lights at Camp Street, there is a large visible sign that yells out; “Road under repair, detour,” with a large arrow telling you to turn south into Camp Street because you cannot continue on to Young Street.

That sign was put up when Young Street was being repaired two years ago. If you are from Berbice going to the US Embassy, the sign will mislead you.

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