Once again – and it’s been happening with increasing frequency – the GPF has come under heavy fire for alleged corruption; this time, it’s in the upper ranks. This isn’t just a question of bumming beleaguered civilians for a fried rice no mo!! No Siree Bob!! Your Eyewitness has been hearing about “millions and millions” of dollars being laundered!! So, what’s the administration doing about it?? After all, they knew they’d inherited a Police Force that was rotten to the core back in 1992 – on account of Burnham’s ministrations!!
Well, the legendary management guru Peter Drucker once famously declared: “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. He, of course, was talking about business culture and its impact on management strategies for achieving companies’ goals and objectives. But the observation holds true for all institutions, innit?? Unless you change the culture of the institution you want to be successful – even if you concoct the best strategy in the world – it’s gonna fail. And so, your Eyewitness turns his (troubled) eyes to our challenged Police Force – one of our oldest institutions, having been formed way back in 1839.
And that in itself tells the whole story about the gap between whatever strategy we’ve been coming up with – seemingly annually!! – to make the GPF become professional in performing its mission to “serve and protect” us, the people of Mudland. At the time of its launching, they were to serve and protect the Europeans and their allies – not AGAINST the newly-freed slaves and those who arrived later.
Unlike their British Bobbies – who smiled cherubically at errant kids, and wielded batons only against lawbreakers – our police were armed to the teeth with REAL GUNS. And were zealously trained to use them against those who broke the laws THEY had made!! The culture inculcated in the Police FORCE was therefore that citizens were basically savages who’d “riot” – not “protest” – at the least opportunity. As such, the RIOT ACT could be read whenever the whites so decided, and the ranks had to open fire at will!! That’s a whole lotta power – and you know what they say about power and corruption!!
This culture of violence and corruption has remained ingrained in the police – who’d become the most ubiquitous arm of the state to the ordinary citizen!! When we hear “Government” we see police!! Now, while there’ve been periodic reforms after egregious abuse, the militarized orientation stubbornly persists.
There’s been talk for decades of renaming the institution as the “Police Service”, rather than “Police Force”, to remind them daily of their mission. There’s been talk also of changing their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) to operationalize the “kinder, gentler” approach. But the latest outrage doesn’t suggest success, does it?
The Police SERVICE’s top brass should spend a hell of a lot more of their time changing their culture, rather than laundering money!!
…Chinese xenophobia
Your Eyewitness notes the increased robberies, murders and other attacks on Chinese restaurants, supermarkets etc and their owners. With the rise of China as a global power, there’s been an increase in Chinese businessmen and other personnel. But whether spontaneously or as official policy, Chinese migrants have taken root and gravitated to retailing and restaurants.
They’re everywhere in Guyana.
With their immigrant drive for economic advancement — and it’s said backdoor help from the Chinese Embassy — their success has spurred envy and attacks. The Chinese business owners are considered soft targets by the criminals, and there isn’t a week that goes by without another “incident” being reported.
Your Eyewitness hopes that, in order to protect themselves, Chinese businesses don’t start forming those violent “Triads” we saw in Bruce Lee movies – to both protect and hustle the businesses. Do Guyanese really want to go down this road?? Our GPF better get their act together!!
…the colonial relations
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in Sahara’s Sahel area of Africa were ruled – and exploited – by France, whom they’ve just thrown out by military coups. They’ve now exited the West African grouping and formed their own union! Liberty…fraternity…!!!
