Dear Editor,
The massive outpouring of grief due to the Lusignan murders has shown the true Guyanese spirit. Both Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese were equally perturbed by this senseless and horrific incident in which the lives of children, women, and men were brutally cut short by a bunch of cold blooded murderers.
Now, that the innocent, murdered individuals have been laid to rest, it is time that we step back and ponder, and attempt to seek answers to the following questions so that the Lusignan incident never repeats itself:
1. Why did the police not respond when requested to do so? In a recent letter, I made a plea to the Police Commissioner to have policies in place to address situations where the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is called upon for immediate help. We have failed.
2. Would a thorough ballistic analysis be conducted by the GPF to determine the source of the weapons used in the Lusignan incident? Would this information be made public?
3. In situations like the Lusignan murders, citizens of many other countries will call for the immediate resignation of the Minister of Home Affairs and the Police Chief. Will these men do the honourable thing and step aside?
4. Will we have continuous talk and presence but no action by the relevant authorities?
5. Would a formal inquiry be launched to determine what went wrong in the Lusignan incident? Would the findings be made public and immediate steps taken to institute the recommendations?
6. Would the Lusignan incident be another one of those that are quickly forgotten with time? We sincerely hope not.
7. Would the President now take firm action against Buxton and Agricola which have been hot beds of criminal activities in Guyana for a very long time?
8. Many organizations have offered condolences to the families of the bereaved. Would these organizations follow up to assist the government in a tangible way, and not only provide verbal support?
Yours faithfully,
Anand Persaud
