The four woes

Nov 06, 2024 Editorial, News

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…Editorial 

Kaieteur News- The Christmas season is fast approaching-some will say that it is already upon us, however, for most Guyanese even before entertaining the thought of Christmas, they are confronted with the worsening cost-of-living crisis here, rising road fatalities, daily blackouts and the escalating crime situation.

Amid the oil wealth and big spending on infrastructural projects- many Guyanese are hungry and are also unsafe walking the streets. The euphoria over the promised $100,000 per adult cash grant tells the story of how desperate citizens have become. But our leaders do not see this crisis, instead they are busy preparing for elections.

On the issue of the cost-of-living, despite the weekly outpourings from Freedom House of the series of measures which government took to cushion the cost-of-living, the facts remain incontrovertible: the cost-of-living continues to rise at an alarming rate, leaving the poor in a precarious position. The cost-of-living is even hurting the middle class. And the government wants us to believe that without those measures, the situation would be worse. Well, it is worse as it is now and this shows that the measures government adopted have not worked. Food prices have surged despite governmental concessions to importers. The real question remains: has the government conducted any surveillance or surveys to establish whether these benefits which it has offered to importers have been passed on to consumers? The increase in the cost of food in Guyana is added to be by limited production capacities. Despite being endowed with fertile land and favourable agricultural conditions; Guyana does not produce food on the scale necessary to drive prices down.

Then we have the crime situation as citizens prepare for the festive season, there are a number of uncertainties. For one, the crime situation is still tenuous. There still continues to be robberies involving the use of weapons and cases where some persons are behaving as if they are laws unto themselves. Come December, the police will tell us that there will be a heightened presence of their ranks on our roadways. This, they would assure will deter many a criminally-minded, yet many would still succeed in their nefarious schemes. Firm, condign, but not excessive action, must be taken against these persons when they are caught, so that a signal can be sent throughout society that the police intend to keep on top of the crime situation.

Although boasting of a drop in serious crimes, the truism that perception very often mirrors reality rings true in Guyana and the general view seems to be that citizens are at the mercy of marauding elements bent on disrupting their peace and security. Back in August, the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall admitted that “the Government is not comfortable with the level of crime and violence in the society and that is no secret.”

He went on to say that the government is working assiduously to address the situation, noting that several pieces of legislation are on the cards, although acknowledging that “legislations are not the singular remedy that can comprehensively and successfully address this problem. We have to have a multi-faceted approach, so we will take to the parliament shortly a bill that will increase penalties for different categories of offences.”

Truth be told the PPP/C Government has been saying the same things about crime fighting since it was confronted with the mayhem that stemmed from the February 2022 Camp Street Prison break. The multifaceted approach to which Nandlall referred and all the other sound bites would not solve the crime problem. At the heart of crime fighting in this country is a crooked Guyana Police Force where officers from top to bottom have been so tainted that some citizens do not even bother to make complaints of crimes committed against them. The recent revelations in the press of the bribery and money laundering that have enveloped that entity are enough to explain why we are in this state of violence. Guyanese must therefore not leave everything up to the police. They should exercise caution at this time, and avoid having a great deal of cash on their person or at homes.

The third menace is our roads- dangerous roads. The Guyana Police Force confirms what ordinary citizens know the situation is that glaring. Drivers are reckless, drivers are speeding, drivers operate under the influence, and drivers have the greatest disregard for regulations and other users of the road. Following too closely at unhealthy speeds, constant honking of horns, and flashing headlights provide lengthy trails of evidence about impatience with others, haste to get from one place to another in the shortest time, and an overriding arrogance. Traffic violators are the most visible and audible, the obvious examples, of growing lawlessness that prevails across Guyana. Every man is a power in his own eyes, one not to be tampered with, one with whom to take chances could backfire swiftly, horribly.

The chronic lawlessness has several sides. First, road users, and this is not limited to drivers alone, form their own conclusions of who in high places break the law, including traffic laws, and are allowed to get away with doing so. There are too many stories of police roadblocks to snare drunk drivers, only for attending ranks to be called off by a call made by an inebriated driver to some senior officer, who passes the appropriate order to let the offender go. Second, uniformed traffic officers are more noticeable on our roadways, either on foot or on motorcycle patrol, but all too frequently, they either turn a blind eye to obvious violations, or are too busy trying to shakedown the unwary or the weak. Third, at a wider arc, there is the widespread perception that politicians and friends operate by a different standard, one largely criminal, and are able to make hay while the sun shines.

Some years ago, the World Health Organization had said that traffic accidents were reportedly the seventh leading cause of death in Guyana. It is the number one cause of death of persons between five years and 14 years, and is the number two cause of death of persons aged between 15 years and 24 years. Given the number of fatal accidents; the number of persons maimed, amputated and disabled; and the deep emotional stress, road accident deaths have been deemed a major public health concern. Road deaths are a serious human, social, economic and health pandemic in Guyana. It has reduced the skills available for national development and continues to cause distress and financial destitution to families. Road fatalities have also resulted in high costs on society, reduced human productivity, and increased health care costs annually.
Many, including a senior traffic officer have stated that the highways have become the killing fields of Guyana. Despite pleas from the police and various road safety advocates for drivers, motor cyclists and pedestrians, to exercise greater care on the roads, the carnage continues which suggests that their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Therefore, those in authority have to do much more than pleading with the public.

Finally, as we approach the yuletide season, what about our electricity supply. This remains one of the major concerns for citizens. The current government is throwing money at the Guyana Power and Light, without any results. Recently, it was forced to rent a Turkish power ship to supply electricity and has tendered for a second one. Just how well the GPL would be able to meet consumer demand is still uncertain. Guyanese are ingenious people. They will still have a good time, regardless of the number of tourists that arrive, the weather, or the level of remittances. But nothing can spoil Christmas as blackouts can.  We hope that, this year, we will once again escape the threat of a dark Christmas.

(The four woes)

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• Christmas, cost-of-living, Freedom House, Guyanese, The Christmas season

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