Dear Editor,
I think that it was Bob Dylan’s lyrics: “Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you king…”
This brings me to the news report (Guyana Times, October 10, 2020) of the sentencing of Anitha Qualis, that is, two years’ imprisonment and a fine of $754,000. The young woman’s crime: possessing some cannabis in her backpack.
Sure, the Narcotics Act allowed the Magistrate to sentence her. Now, what will become of her and her three children!
It is not like she was manufacturing liquor or cigarettes, and selling these ad-libs to the public, where untold physical and mental damage is constantly meted out to a huge section of the population. It is not like she was thieving large swaths of Government land, or renting a canopy for exorbitant sums of money. It is not like she was deliberately rigging an election, and undermining democracy and doing possibly treasonable acts. She was trying to provide for her three young ones. (Similarly, young people are jailed for smoking a joint.)
I know that the law comes into play. I am in no way condoning breaking the law. The Magistrate does the job as written. However, “the law is an ass” sometimes. The judicial officer has an option and latitude — “justice must be tempered with mercy”. Surely, there can be rehabilitation, where the woman can do community service (with pay) so that she can maintain her family, and gain some degree of decency.
Concerned people of good conscience should rally and advocate for a reversal of the sentence. My heart bleeds for her and her young children.
Yours truly,
Gary Girdhari
