The majority of Guyanese never fall into crime even though Guyana is poverty stricken

Aug 26, 2018 Letters

---

Dear Editor,

I would like to dwell on a letter which captions “Give ghetto youths a ladder to climb out of that despair “by Dr. Mark Devonish so as to put the murderous crime situation that has engulfed this country into perspective. The world needs to be informed that in this country, coldhearted bandits chronically kick down the doors of helpless citizens to gain access to their homes to brutalize, rob and murder them. Of course, such a problem tarnishes our national image, divides Guyanese and destroys our economy among endless destruction. So there is nothing good about crime.
Also, I would like to remind Dr. Devonish that the majority of Guyanese never fall into crime even though Guyana is poverty stricken and most communities can be described as ghetto – like.
If anything, poverty should at least instinctively drive Guyanese into survival mode to unite as one, to work hard, to make sacrifice, to penny- pinch, to show empathy and to respect others but never to engage in inhumanity.
And most Guyanese have been doing exactly this. I remember how my family made our meals without oil and various necessary ingredients to cut cost and to save money for our house rent which was our priority.
Also, I remember walking miles and miles to and from my school even in bad weather so that I hold onto money to buy school supplies etc. And in spite that we had very little, we tried our best to save for a rainy day
In short, we handle poverty though thrifty means, personal sacrifice and hard work. Such values enable us to survive on our own sweat and I am extremely proud of this. So Dr. Devonish, even if we did not raid trash cans like you did, it does not mean that our lives are great.
We also never entertain the idea of doing crime because we are cultured to see crime as inhumane and shameful. These are parts of our value system that steer us away from crime. And in the face of our difficulties, I am understandably angry that we also become victims of brutal criminals who are nothing but lawless bullies.
This then sparks all sorts of logical questions, including why is it that only some Guyanese fall into crime and the majority of us don’t, even though we are all sailing in rough waters?
And the answer primarily lies in the differences in our values, not poverty. Examples of this analysis are practically seen everywhere in this country. Editor, just look around you and you will see that most Guyanese live in poverty but only a fraction goes into crime and destroys this country. Any behaviorist would agree that human behaviors are driven by good and bad moral values. Good moral values entail: respecting others, working hard for success and living off of one’s own sweat. Bad moral values are the opposite.
Through survival instincts and experience, humans know that it takes good moral values to survive under conditions of poverty and to successfully climb out of it.
Also, nature has designed and engineered humans with the most complex and sophisticated intellectual power house known as the human brain to intelligibly self- construct mental ladders with good moral values to exert appropriate behaviours necessary to survive in poverty and to climb above it as decent human beings with a conscience. Good moral values drive adaptive behaviours necessary for survival but sadly and unfortunately, criminals fail to make the connection.
Moreover, criminals are heavily influenced by bad values which drive them into crime. Even though our brains are highly capable of instantly generating infinite survival strategies in response to poverty, crime can’t be one of them because it results in harm, death, and destruction. Crime is highly abnormal. Take for example; we all watched how five criminals were instantly killed in a brazen robbery about a month ago. And, just about a week ago, we witnessed how a hard working cheese vendor was senselessly gunned down for his own sweat. Moreover, we witness daily how criminals brutalize, rape and murder hardworking citizens in the most inhumane ways for their sweat.
Humankind is efficiently designed for survival and this means that criminal behaviours will be forced into extinction by the forces of survival. Of course, this will be realized under a Government who respects its people enough to set zero tolerance on such a destructive behaviour. But for now, the crime rate continues to climb because our Government refuses to understand the crime dynamics. And also its silence on this problem is certainly an endorsement.
At this juncture, another relevant and important question needs to be addressed: So why criminals fail to see good values as necessary tools required to handle poverty? Unfortunately, the reality is that criminals are created by the wrong values they internalize primarily from caregivers who are most often parent figures and members of our larger society.
Often than not, criminals are raised in dysfunctional and broken homes where bad values are instilled and reinforced. Also, members of society including politicians and local activists send the wrong message to criminals by remaining silent when criminals murder hardworking Guyanese but become activated when criminals are taken down by the police. This has got to be hypocrisy to the max. Where is the logic in this? This is unkind to every Guyanese, including criminals.
Society must understand that the Guyanese people do not deserve to be murdered at the brutal hands of criminals. And society must also stop failing criminals.
After all, crime is a dangerous business and it is the nature of such a business that criminals will likely be killed. And so if you want to save the lives of criminals: then teach people good values instead of misleading them and visiting them in jail and attending their funerals.
Sincerely,
Annie Baliram

---

---