Stealing must not be condoned, but rather condemned

Dear Editor,
Stealing must not be condoned but rather condemned in any form or shape, by anyone big, medium or small, by circumstance, need, want or necessity, by habit, profession, cult or custom. But it was alarming, rather ironic and troubling, if not amusing and entertaining, to read about the case of the $2,700,000 worth of 37 LED street lights stolen from various locations throughout the country, the property of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Electrical Engineering Department. In 1955, Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch A Thief” was released, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.
Now, why do Bingo and Low immediately jump right out of Pandora’s box? No, no, don’t go down that end of the road, don’t dirty your mind, go the opposite direction! Yes, it’s true, not a lie, they have “been there, done that” and “muddle and fuddle,” while “juggling and fumbling,” that is why they are the perfect qualifiers to set on the trail to find the culprits. You always “set a thief to catch a thief,” the job is simplified, modified, solidified and concise.
Professionals are preferable to amateurs and experience with expedience take precedence over ignorance. The bottom line is that it produces results in the shortest time though at a cost. Then again, there was the original 1968 “Thomas Crown Affair,” starring Burt Reynolds and Faye Dunaway, with a storyline portraying a clever inside job operation. Many obvious questions immediately spring up that will simplify, not nullify, any type of investigation and you don’t have to be a trained detective or auditor. The culprits can be caught tomorrow if not today with an open-close book case if the authorities want.
The trail is still hot and not warm, the perpetrators have to be known collaborators, experienced installers and removers, collusion communicates with cooperation, concerted efforts aligned with coordination, premeditation and pre-information in synchrony with inside information, customised vehicle owners or accessibility, the end-users are limited and the service locations are strategically visible! The motive is availability on the market shelf. Just go take your pick and knock yourself out. It’s a piece of cake.
Now, these lights are valuable and expensive, $73,000 each but more so, costly to replace, especially with a caretaker Government that only knows how to bankrupt the economy with proficiency every time they take office and, experts at breaking and not making. Indeed, times are tough, rough, trying and telling and, people are on the lookout to “make a small or big piece.”
This is the sad and alarming part that consumes a saturated society that is burdened with hunger, poverty and depression, thanks to a carefree and heartless de facto Government. One that aligns itself with self-preservation for power retention and not people consideration, will always prioritise self-interest with anxiety, spurred by greed and, ignore the public’s concern with a lackadaisical attitude and minimum alacrity.
The rush is on (yes, for gold too), people are anticipating a quick end to this election process and the “gravy train” will soon come to a sudden stop. There will be a change of guard and accountability will once again be institutionalised and the “free for all” party will cease. So, the hustlers are busy filling their pockets as fast as possible and as much as possible, anywhere and everywhere without any “kina” (ego). There is no one minding the store and/or, there is no need for correction because there is protection. This is again a classic case of the servant following the master and becoming a “copycat.” This game of “follow the leader” is so rampant and prevalent, there will not be enough personnel to uncover and discover the damming and damaging effects this corruptive force of malfeasance has conjured. The innocent flock is being teased and coerced, led astray by the master to the manger to be slaughtered mercilessly.
This has been the trend for the past 4-plus years. It is a campaign of vengeance for missing out on the previous 23 years, not strange but true! The treasury was fattened when inherited, why waste any time, from the word go, take the jump and start to flatten. It is time to make up for losing out. Chances are, there may not be another chance!
A statement was issued, “The Ministry is hereby pleading with the perpetrators to refrain from committing larceny against the country.” What? More kidding, right? The boss is telling the employee you cannot steal but I can? The boss gets to steal but the ordinary worker cannot? Right? Is this fair? You get to steal because you’re big and at the top and I don’t because I am small and at the bottom! How do you rationalise this sentiment? The big guys make more money and get to live the “good life” with all the juicy perks but the small guy makes pittance and has to struggle to survive! One is being ridiculed and spanked on the hand while the other huffs, puffs and snorts with air and goes scotch free, undeterred, undetected, untouched and unaffected!
The small man will always be the little man in this contextual society and continue to be accused and rebuked because of being used and abused, voluntary and involuntary by destabilisers and manipulators who are subservient to the dichotomy of civilian dictatorship and military dictatorship.
Roll back the camera and what do we have, perpetrators committing grand larceny to steal an entire country by electoral fraud in bright daylight and in front of stakeholders, national and international, barefaced and wholesale robbery, worth not millions nor billions but trillions of sweet, crispy Guyana dollars, enough to fill pockets for generations to come.
This particular power grab will guarantee a permanent placement for life and it will be the PNC (AFC/WPA/ JFAP go through the front door with a kick on the butt) who will dominate and control the country via strict draconian measures, all by themselves for themselves.
Yes, this is the answer and the only way to stabilise economic distribution for denial of wealth retribution and equalise an unbalanced hierarchy that had wrongly suppressed one ethnic denomination, a misnomer misconception, disguised in lies, that preys on the blank and blind minds of those who refuse to analyse and rationalise truth from an untruth for themselves, whether willingly or unwillingly.
The poison has been planted, consumed and spread from root to branch without the knowledge of the consumer and the effect is far gone and far-fetched, a remedy not within the immediate reach of the healer or the protector, forget the pretender and the ill-giver. So sick and corrupt is this society that there is gross inadequacy for honesty, justice and freedom to strive and survive in the turbulent and testing days ahead that will be clouded with stormy weather, the days filled with nescience and the nights occupied with despair.
Hopefully, history is recording all the transactions authoritatively, sincerely, meticulously and correctly. Just to reiterate a few salient misdemeanours that are pertinent to support and influence the trend of thought articulated above: tremendous salary increases from day one, exorbitant fringe benefits, undisclosed perks, numerous kickbacks, contractual benefits, hidden agreements, illegal land distribution and sale, illegal constructions, wholesale corruption under Ponzi schemes, embezzlements, disguised financial projects, undercover businesses, undisclosed and hidden records from the auditors, closures of business entities out of spite, economic mismanagement, etc.
No wonder the ordinary man in the street who has to sweat for each penny earned becomes ticked off and wants to copy what the guys and gals in high places are doing. It is simply a chain reaction from a precedent created from the ones above and at the very top. So, in the minds of those at the very bottom, it’s a simple interpretation and adoption of the teachings from, “what’s good for the goose must be good for the gander also.”
The essence of the logic flows and its influence is replicated and projected in this physical outreach. Desperate people would also do desperate things, especially when their backs are bracing against the wall, they will retaliate and strike back without any choice as a means of last resort for survival. But, at the end of the day, those from the high society do not look at things from this angle nor through this vein and refuse to place empathy or sympathy because of an unconcerned nature and eyes blinded with greed and a one-track mind.
To throw more light on this missing light business, is there another ulterior motive? Is this a case of hitting two birds with one stone? Is there a follow up to this sequel that will prove more sinister and this is only a beginning camouflaged with a banal masquerade? Darkness without light is a cover for mischief in the dark! Maybe, a bigger picture is yet to unfold! Let speculation be the light for postulation. The head is spinning and reeling with this merry-go-round.
So just for a few precious, decisive but quiet moments, inhale a lungful of fresh, clean, unadulterated and free air, let it linger and regurgitate within, and, rinse, wash and replenish all the negativity with positivity and then let it out with a relived outburst through the nostrils. Repeat the process, exhaling this time with the mouth opened. This exercise is good to detox the body and mind so that we can think constructively and not destructively, clearly and not vaguely and see things in their right perspective transparently and not opaquely. To supplement and complement this achievement is an open mind, not a closed-door approach.
Man can change society for the better, starting with bettering oneself as the first change that will set off the rippling effect. This simple and effortless trick, costless but effective, Guyana needs, going forward. But then it all starts with me, the person as an influential individual, to set the trend and start the ball rolling. Why not accept the challenge?
There is absolutely nothing to lose but much to gain. The healing process begins here, with me. It will help to lead me and others from darkness to light, for, we cannot look up to the leaders for guidance, otherwise, we will be forgotten and left in abeyance, waiting for the day of deliverance.

Respectfully,
Jai Lall