Dear Editor,
I am a Guyanese living in the USA and I have been shocked by the three mass murders that have occurred in Guyana in the past six months. It is clear this country has a serious crime problem which needs to be addressed. Although the joint services have been making progress in their fight against one criminal gang, the people of Guyana have to realize that this crime fight must involve them. The first thing that has to happen is that the people of Guyana must come together, regardless of race, religion, social status, or where they live (whether in Buxton or Bel Air) to fight crime. They must play an active role in eliminating crime in communities. Whether they provide vital information to the authorities or form neighbourhood crime-watch groups, they must do something. No longer can they stand idly by and allow the criminals to take control of this beautiful country.
Guyanese need to realize that the joint services and the government cannot fight crime alone. They can only do so much; they rely on help from the general public just as much as the public relies on their protection. I know Guyana’s sordid past has caused the people in the country to have very little trust in those in authority, which makes crime-fighting very difficult. However, this trust can only be rebuilt by the actions of the people in authority, since it is not what they preach to the public, it is their behaviour which will make a difference.
I love Guyana dearly; every chance I get to visit the country I jump at it. Recently, I spoke to relatives in the country, who were aware of the crime situation, but felt since it did not affect them directly, they had nothing to worry about. But what they and other Guyanese fail to realize is that crime does affect them indirectly. It often has a serious impact on a country’s economy. It impact areas such as the tourism industry directly which tends to have a trickle-down effect on other businesses. When there is a high crime rate in a country the number of tourists visiting that country tends to drop, which is not good news for Guyana’s struggling tourism industry. Although hotels, resorts, airlines, taxi services, and other tourism related businesses may be greatly impacted, other areas such as the restaurant business, night clubs, souvenir vendors, and even the mango seller at Stabroek Market may also lose some of their business.
Crime can also affect the number of investments in a country, because investors have to consider social, political, and other issues as they make investment decisions. As a potential investor myself, I am having second thoughts about doing business in Guyana. Although, I care greatly about the economic situation in the country, I have to serious analyse the risks and opportunity costs.
In closing, I hope Guyana can get this crime situation under control. I pray that there will not be any more senseless killing in the country. The good people of Guyana must rise up and take control. The government and others must create alternatives to help people out of poverty, so crime is not viewed as the only option out of suffering.
Yours faithfully,
Sean Corbin
