Crime spirals out of control while Ramjattan fiddles

May 07, 2019 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

Minister Khemraj Ramjattan’s defence of his stewardship of public security in Guyana is dismal, pathetic, shocking. If there is any decency in him, he will resign. If there is any sense of responsibility, President David Granger will fire Ramjattan immediately.
By refusing to fire Ramjattan, President Granger is further abdicating his responsibility to lead Guyana. In the midst of spiraling crime, his Public Security Minister has the audacity to, in effect, tell Guyanese citizens they complain too much, they should know things are worse in some other countries.
Ramjattan’s absolute insensitivity and his inability to lead and provide assurance to the Guyanese people is dangerous and appalling. Yet David Granger is aloof, not even bothered by the fear that stalks the land, insisting Guyana is blissfully sailing to the “good life”.
Every time I think nothing more this government or one of its ministers do will shock me again, something happens that shocks me even more.
Ramjattan claims “things are not that bad” in reference to the crime situation in Guyana, his excuse being other countries have a worse crime problem. Murders have been increasing and dominating the news headlines. Every day, there is another shocking bandit attack that leads to death. Every day, there is another brutal spousal attack. Every day, there are armed robberies, often in the full view of the public.
Even the police are engaged in crimes, headlined by the SOCU frauds. In the face of this frightening spiral of crime, the Public Security Minister dismisses public alarm, demanding citizens be grateful crime is not even worse, blaming the media for “emblazoning crime in the headlines”. This is utterly despicable.
It is a sad and dangerous day when those responsible for our safety, expect the best we can hope for when it comes to crime is just to be a little better than the worse crime countries in the world. It is reprehensible for a Minister to justify his stewardship by insisting ‘we are not that bad” because other countries crime rates are even higher than ours.
So, even if crime rates double in the coming months, a possibility not beyond reality, this Minister will not be bothered, because he can claim we are still better off than some god-forbidden crime-riddled place on earth. This cannot be responsible governance, we must end this charade.
This is a government and a Minister, when in opposition, that railed in the pre-2015 Parliament against crime, strongly positing they could do much better. Ramjattan himself, with all the answers, led a blistering attack in Parliament against Clement Rohee, the then Minister of Home Affairs (Public Security), for the crime rate in the country. Rohee was also ostracized and Ramjattan and his APNU and AFC colleagues demanded his resignation or his firing for his “incompetence”.
Safer communities, better security, was also part of the “good life” formula in APNU+AFC’s manifesto. Yet, whether it is in their homes or going to work, going to the markets, going to the stores, or in their social activities, like going to a wedding and even to a funeral, no one feels safe anymore. APNU+AFC and Ramjattan knew it all then, now where are the answers?
There is a genuine concern among the citizens, and they expect their Government and their Minister of Public Security to recognize there is a real problem. Yet there appears to be a Minister in “la la” land, totally not grounded into the reality of the Guyanese people; people who live in genuine fear for their lives, daily. The Minister now thinks crime is inevitable, that citizens must not expect better, and that even if crime continues to spiral, as long as crime somewhere else is worse than Guyana, he can claim he is doing a good job.
Ramjattan seems more peeved the Leader of the Opposition stood-up on the side of citizens, holding APNU+AFC accountable for the spiraling crime in the country. In response to the Leader of the Opposition, Ramjattan, conceding many crimes are unreported, insist these are petty crimes.
Crime is crime, whether they lead to serious injuries or deaths, or are burglaries or pickpockets. Our sad reality is people do not bother to report crimes like street thefts or burglaries without physical injuries, because people have lost confidence in the police, and do not believe anything tangible will result from their reporting.
But it is a sad day when any crime is considered petty by the Minister of Public Security, the head honcho, the man who is supposed to be working to promote and protect our safety. It is time for Ramjattan to go fiddle somewhere else.
Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

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