Dear Editor,
The letter in your issue of October 31, 2012 by the International Committee of the Continuing Defence of Linden, articulately expresses the concerns of many about the conduct of the proceedings of the Commission of Enquiry into the historicity of the current Linden debacle.
Several observers have noted the Commission’s relative insulation from, or misapprehension of, the untoward experiences of living in Linden, resulting, in some instances, from specific administrative decisions; and the perceptible effort to ignore the substantive context within which actions and decisions are made – whether in Port Mourant, Tunapuna, or West Kingston – does not square with the global acknowledgement of peoples’ protest throughout the Middle East, for example.
The COI should be mindful of the fact that their own performance will come under the scrutiny not only of the immediate contending parties, but perhaps more importantly of their Regional peers, and very likely, that of relevant international interests and institutions. Integrity is, and will be, a critical factor of measurement. They must be seen to act out their own intellectual strengths and freedoms. Perhaps, however, the most regrettable aspect of the exercise is the embarrassment of having the ineptitude, disorganisation, miscommunication, inarticulation – indicators of sub-standard education and discipline – aggregating into a comprehensive ineffectiveness of the Guyana Police Force being exposed to our neighbours and the world at large.
Yours faithfully,
E B John
