Protest actions must not pose a danger to life of others

Dear Editor,
Recent events have brought us to a point where we must consider making it illegal to block public roadways during social or political protests. It’s okay to lawfully protest, but such action must not pose a danger to the life of others who want to carry on with their life and business.
In Guyana, in most places, we have only one main road which everyone has to use, and all traffic has to traverse on. We are not like the USA which has millions of miles of roads and if there is a protest in one area, you can avoid that area, as there are many alternative roads and by-pass routes you can take. In Guyana, when a road is blocked and people are burning tires and things, and creating a hostile and explosive environment, especially when race is invoked and politicians show up and stoke racial fires to gain political mileage, it is bad for everyone. It diminishes us all.
So nation, if the only road we have is blocked, and you are on your way in a car taking your little baby suffering from shortage of breath or other ailments to the hospital, or taking your pregnant wife about to deliver, or taking your elderly grandmother showing symptoms of the coronavirus, what do you do if the road up ahead is blocked with debris and burning things, and you cannot pass? Do these lives matter? Can these people die too? Or suppose, a fire truck is on its way to put out a raging fire where many people are trapped in the building, but the road is blocked by road fires and obstructions placed on the road, do those lives matter too? Or suppose, you are heading to the airport, to a job or business appointment, and the only one road we have is blocked, what do you do? Or suppose, it’s an ambulance racing to the hospital with a patient in an emergency situation? Nation, is it fair to the rest of us, in a one road situation, that we should be allowed to express the right to protest by blocking the only one road we have?
All lives matter! Exercising the right to protest should not trample on the rights of those who want to protect their own security and safety, and carry on their business, as in the examples I have given. Parliament must act this time around to enact a law stipulating severe penalties for blocking the main highway. I applaud President Ali, Minister Benn, AG Nandlall and the police authorities for their statements and actions in our current Berbice problem. There have been too many murders lately. A security guard was killed this week, and another person in Berbice was killed. Some of these murders are solved, and some are unsolved such as that of Sheema Mangar who was killed at a busy city car park and no one came forward to help the police solve that crime. Crime diminishes us all. Parliament must act now.

Sincerely,
Dr Jerry Jailall