I express heartfelt condolences to the parents and other loved ones of 11-year-old Adriana Younge, whose tragic and suspicious death has plunged our nation into grief and turmoil. The pain and anger felt by all Guyanese – not only parents and family members – are real. The public outrage over the police’s handling of this matter is legitimate. But violence, destruction and attacks on innocent people are not justice. They are wounds upon an already hurting nation.
We cannot demand accountability and responsibility from our law enforcement agencies while engaging in lawless behaviour ourselves. Nothing good comes from violence against fellow Guyanese. We must respect the law and uphold peace and order. Only then can we create the conditions for real change and true justice.
I have witnessed cycles of violence in almost every decade since the 1960s. Core issues like a constitutional autocracy require fundamental changes, not band-aids that legitimise poor governance, lack of accountability, bribery and corruption, and the entrenchment of a narrow class. Completely unmindful that the death of Adriana is only the latest in a series of disturbing acts of gender-based violence, the Speaker of the National Assembly was reported on Monday to have summarily blocked debate on a motion intended to establish an alert system for missing children.
This decision is both deeply disappointing and profoundly troubling in the current climate. It also recalls other unresolved atrocities, including the horrific sexual abuse of a child from one of our minority communities. In that case, the court cleared the suspect, a minister of government no less, for lack of evidence. It is widely believed that the charge against the suspected perpetrator was dismissed following a reported financial settlement with the victim’s family.
Calls for action against pervasive corruption are met with excuses and more corruption. Ruling parties, their families, friends and favourites operate and are enriched as though they are above the law. The parliamentary system is abused; constitutional and public bodies are compromised and controlled; the election system is broken, and the regional system designed to foster democracy is tightly controlled from the centre.
White-collar crime, including tax evasion and favouritism, is now part of the governance system. The rich have become mega-rich, while the rest of society remains impoverished. At the same time, poorer areas like Buxton, which I visited two weeks ago, remain deplorable.
The vice president who cynically circumvents the constitutional term limit holds a weekly press conference marked by divisive and inflammatory language, mocking and insulting individuals who dare to raise questions. This pattern of behaviour contributes to further polarising our society and normalising its own form of violence.
Every initiative by civil society that does not align with the government is dismissed as politically motivated and opposition-driven. The government seeks to dominate every inch of political space and every iota of public opinion, leaving little room for genuine dialogue and reform.
Governments act as if election victory, however narrow, confers ownership of the nation’s resources. No, they impose responsibility and a duty to legally, transparently and accountably manage the country’s resources to benefit all citizens, not half-Guyana.
Our constitutional bodies must function independently and professionally, serving the people of Guyana – not those who appoint them. The Constitution Reform Commission must come out from under its shell and carry out its duties. The Public Procurement Commission must ensure contracts are awarded transparently and do something about the pervasive and credible reports of bribery and corruption. The Integrity Commission must uphold ethical governance. Bodies like GECOM, the FIU, SOCU, the DPP, the Commission of Information the Audit and yes, the Police Force, must fulfill their mandates.
Our opposition parties have not helped either. They have failed to provide leadership, action, energy and effort. As challenging as their task is, they can do much more to offer hope and to expose the injustices so evident around us.
There is no reason why women and children must go through the trauma of violence and deaths as if it is so normal. Or why our society should be riven with widespread violence every decade or so. Let us not fail Adriana twice.
Rest In Peace, Adriana.
Yours faithfully,
Christopher Ram
