Dear Editor,
Congratulations to President Ali on his refocus on the safety of our citizens. This is the foundation that is necessary to start down a path to true prosperity. It is one of the three pillars of a good society, where citizens are able to easily prosper and enjoy the fruits of their hard work.
Environment, health, and safety are essential to setting the correct course towards a good life, and within this framework, safety must be first and foremost. Offering amnesty and an opportunity for self-change among those who have taken our nation down the wrong path towards prosperity is a very forgiving action being taken by the current administration. It should not be taken lightly.
After the amnesty period is up, the administration would have full support and authority to use the entire weight of the law to round up and punish those still engaging in criminal activities.
A good house-cleaning always starts at the top, and it is essential that the Government begins by purging itself of all those known to have participated – and continue to participate – in criminal and illegal activities.
If that is not done, the lower-level criminals, who are the protected foot soldiers of the criminal elements with influence and powerful connections, would continue to disregard the authority of Government, the courts, the Police, and the prisons.
By purging the system of criminals with authority, the voices of those who adhere to the law would be strengthened and allowed to have a stronger impact on the integrity and honesty of our nation. This would allow the Government to regain control of our legal system, the Police and the prison systems.
To this day, I still remember when a thief was sentenced to 3 years in prison for stealing a breadfruit. This was in the 1980s, when criminals were still being given the grand sentence of hanging, and caning was acceptable in our schools. During that time, our streets and homes were safer. Those thinking of behaving badly and engaging in criminal activities would hesitate to carry out such actions because they knew how serious the punishment was for being disobedient and breaking the law.
Singapore still carries out caning of criminals, and China continues to use a firing squad. The culture of Guyana is not that of other nations, such as North America, and we must revert to the system that works best for our culture, which is more aligned to that of Singapore. Then, and only then, would control be regained, and the safety of our villages, communities, cities, and nation would be restored.
Currently, many criminals and deviants laugh at the authorities with no fear of punishment, because of rampant corruption and weak penalties for criminal activities. We must teach the criminals that we have nothing to fear but fear itself, and the punishment they would receive in our nation is such that it would drive fear into their souls and they would pray to go to a different country.
People must have that confidence and knowledge that, in Guyana, the authorities do not play around. You have to follow the law, or you would feel its full force and weight. The laws of our nation are not a joke, and we, the Guyanese people, will not tolerate any disrespect for our laws, nor any stealing of our belongings nor killing of our law-abiding citizens.
Once again, congratulations to His Excellency President Ali for taking the first steps towards a safer Guyana.
Best regards,
Jamil Changlee
