MY BLOOD BOILS

Feb 08, 2020 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

My blood boiled with fury when I saw that video yesterday of a schoolgirl being robbed while on her way to school. I feel so enraged by that incident that I could not watch the video more than once.
The decade of the 80s was one of extreme hardships for Guyana. People suffered a great deal during that period. It was time when persons had to line up for basic household necessities. Things were so tough that persons would see a line, join it and then ask what was being sold.
Things got so bad that some persons on the East Coast had to leave their homes as early as 5:30 am just to be able to get to work on time because they could not be sure that they would catch regular transportation.
People began to gravitate to the city in order to get jobs. As a result of the increased demand for housing, rentals skyrocketed. Persons would go walking around the town looking for houses without curtains, because this was often evidence that a flat was not being occupied and may be available for rental.
Some homeowners took advantage of the situation. They began to sublet and offer board and lodging, particularly to young girls from the countryside, who did not want or could not afford to rent their own apartments.
Things were tough. At one point, the price of a beer skyrocketed so much that poor people were forced to switch to drinking white and brown rum.
Petty thieving developed. Thieves began to raid clotheslines forcing persons to not leave their clothing to dry overnight. Thieving moved from clothes on the clothesline to junkies stealing your plant pots.
Despite all these and many more hardships too humiliating to remember, I have never seen something and brazen and shocking as that video of that schoolgirl being robbed.
There was the occasional incident in which bigger schoolboys would rob young ones of their pocket change but this was not a regular occurrence.
Last year a video was shown of a young schoolboy being robbed while on his way home. He was robbed by a gang of boys.
Not long after some other schoolchildren were robbed of their phones. Some persons have tried to make the victims the villains. They have argued that these crimes are committed because the parents are giving children expensive phones.
But what is wrong with that? If I can afford to give my child an expensive phone, why should I not do so? Lavishing my child with an expensive phone does not give anyone a right to come and rob him. I have every right to give my child the best that I can give her or him. No one has any right to deprive my child of what belongs to her or him.
The video which was aired on social media yesterday, the person committing this banditry on this young schoolgirl was not a boy. And off all things, he robbed a schoolgirl. That was something that I cannot remember happening even in the bad old days.
Long ago, it was considered highly foolish to try to rob a schoolchild. His or her peers would chase you until you had no escape. That does happen anymore because the bandits are escaping on motorised transportation and they are carrying deadly weapons on their person.
Schooling is now a dangerous thing. Children are getting robbed on their way to school and they are beaten by other children in the schools. How worse can things get in education?
I hope that this incident with the schoolchild marks a turning point in our country. I hope people decide that it is time that something is done to rid this country of this type of pestilence. If that sight of that schoolgirl being robbed does not lead to some action, then oil or no oil, this country cannot go forward. It will be backward ever; forward never.
Parents at a private school organised a protest when a school principal was shot. He has not received justice to date.
Things will not change until people protest the lack of safety for schoolchildren going to and from school. The authorities will not act unless they are forced to do so by public pressure.
The man committing the robbery escaped on a motorcycle. The design and features of the motorcycle are clearly visible. That is an important lead for the police.
The bandit should be apprehended and placed before the courts. He deserves no mercy.

Latest News

MY BLOOD BOILS

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 10th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Khalil, Pollard and Barker reign supreme as BCQS Int’l Masters...

Cricket West Indies passes historic governance...

Archery Guyana hosts thrilling 2024 National...

Prashad claims victory at the recently concluded...

West Indies & Sri Lanka top their respective...

Allicock, Amsterdam named in GBA training squad...

Features/Columnists

Are we better off today than we were before first oil?

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Jagdeo on contract awards

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

MY BLOOD BOILS

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 10th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]