Lessons for Guyana over murder in Trinidad

Feb 13, 2021 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

Kaieteur News – There are massive protests or vigils all over Trinidad over the senseless murder of Andrea Bharrat who has become a household name, now adopted as everyone’s daughter or sister. There are lessons for Guyana in the peoples’ response and what government should do.
This beautiful young lady, described as an angel, had just begun to live her life. As aptly stated on social media by a restaurant owner in Florida, “She is a pretty flower that did not get to bloom because of the dastard act of evil minds”. Andrea’s cultural passion and “Trininess” was admirable; she made a fantastic video of a typical Hindu wedding that has gone viral.
That type of murder can happen in Guyana. Haven’t we experienced similar crimes in Guyana. So there are lessons for Guyana. A young girl, merely 23, returning home from her job at a magistrate court, was kidnapped, abused, soiled, killed, and dumped overboard down a ravine of labyrinth depth. A helicopter was required to stoop down and recover her broken body. What happened to this young lady is indescribable. It was a heinous, most brutal, inhumane act.
There is much media publicity over the murder and spontaneous public protest with everyone calling for justice. Some sections of the media were insensitive and heartless – instead of focusing on the murder; they were focusing on “belly” and corporate income. For example, one talk show host opted to share a recipe on “how to make dhal” rather than provide comfort to people who were protesting and in distress over the rape and murder.
This prompted a social commentator to pen this critique: “Why have we grown so cold blooded that a crime of this magnitude is not given the prominence it deserves in the media? It seems that when it’s our child or sibling or parents that only then are we moved to express our feelings. If Andrea were a celebrity or the daughter of a prominent politician, the headlines would have been splurging nonstop with the story. There is one justice for the well-to-do and the connected and another for the poor. The hypocritical adherence to our laws must be exposed. Are we in a state where, according to the famous Christian philosopher St. Augustine that true justice could only be realized in the kingdom of heaven?”
What happened to Andrea can happen to another person in an environment where crime has skyrocketed including in Guyana. Thus, the public in TT or in Guyana should not take illusory comfort in their home or office and wish away this problem. A critic wisely advise: “We must recast our focus on the gravity of such crime, just imagining if Andrea was one of our own”.
TT public demands justice. Those responsible, including those who conspired in the kidnapping and who disclosed information about the girl’s whereabouts for exposing criminal wrong doings, must face the law – the death penalty is warranted. Nothing less is required for those criminals who display mentality of a beast.
There are calls for TT government to take a more activist approach to bring the plotters and perpetrators to justice or else people will lose confidence in government to protect them. People may take the law in their own hands. One commentator on social media penned: ‘We can raise our voices! We can protest! We can assist the family. We can set up a foundation in her name. Should we also set up our private security arrangement when the state fails to protect us? What are our options?” Those questions also apply to Guyana on the issue of crime — including those drunken drivers who killed people.
Countries like TT and Guyana should look at ways of curbing this abuse and assaults of the nation’s women while in transport mode using taxis. The death penalty for the perpetrators or rape and murder is warranted. Is the death penalty still in force? In the case of Guyana, Guyanese are calling for the restoration of the death penalty for dastardly related crimes; other islands also have the death penalty.
Contrary to what some may feel, capital punishment is a deterrent. The death penalty sends a strong message against would-be criminals. As an illustration, in Guyana, the dictator Desmond Hoyte resumed hanging in 1987 resulting in a dramatic downturn of crime when a few hard core murderers were hung. Fear of being hung sends jitters down the spine of those on death row. One can’t imitate in T&T a policy or objection to the death penalty of a developed country. Hanging would send the right signal to would be criminals. It would help to reduce crime. At any rate, the government must take decisive action against criminals to send a strong message that crimes would not be tolerated.
It is the duty of a State to protect its citizens. That is its primary responsibility. It must respond promptly against those who engage in serious acts of violence. Governments in TT and Guyana should consider compensating victims of serious crime. There are precedents. In the US, for example, civil actions are brought against criminals for wrongful deaths or crimes that affect people. Imprisonment or the death penalty is just one form of punishment. Another form is to provide monetary relief. It won’t solve crime. But at a minimum, it would address the pain and anguish of family members of victims.
The country demands justice for Andrea and others who were victims of crime.

Yours truly,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

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