The squibs and Alexander Village

As we here at Stabroek News mourn the loss of our beloved Editor-in-Chief, Mr David de Caires, a compassionate and tolerant man who fervently believed that the diversity of our society in all its forms had to be cherished and nurtured, it would be appropriate to address the chaos that attended Deepavali observances in Alexander Village on Tuesday.

Though it had become a regular scourge during the celebrations for the last 10 years or, residents say Tuesday’s eruption of squib throwing, defiling of the Vishnu Mandir and invasion of yards by revellers was the worst they had ever seen.

Deepavali is a deeply sacred occasion to Hindus, shorn of the displays of revelry more often seen during the festival of Holi which many Guyanese of all persuasions and backgrounds also participate in. In its very expression: the illumination of earthen diyas and the sharing of sweets, Deepavali radiates a reflective and obeisant atmosphere and one that attracts respectful observance.

In a plural society like ours it gladdens the heart that thousands of Guyanese from all parts of the country would have been moved to visit Alexander Village to observe the exquisitely lit homes and the picturesque scenes of rows of diyas laid out and being tended to by homeowners. What was completely unacceptable and totally at odds with the reverential nature of the festival was the lobbing of squibs and an assortment of other incendiary devices; some so powerful as to blow holes into roofs and others so sacrilegiously placed as to sully the mandir with water from a nearby trench. It goes hard against the grain of how Hindus and non-Hindus should observe this event.

No one in society should idly stand by and permit such behaviour to go unchallenged. No one must easily rest while there is such disdain and malice shown towards the adherents of any religion or faith in this society. As equal stakeholders in this society we all have an essential role in nurturing it and staving off acts of this kind but are we discharging this duty?

There are failures at many levels. Have we as leaders in our individual homes, communities, places of worship, workplaces and leisure settings tried to learn enough of each other’s customs and to cherish and respect those?

Beside the failure at the level of the average stakeholder there is the abysmal performance by the police and those who are charged with regulating the ports of the country. How could squibs and firecrackers of the quantities that were let off in all parts of Guyana on Monday and Tuesday be permitted to enter the country by the regulatory authorities and be so openly sold in markets and elsewhere without stern action being taken? Where were the Customs and Trade Administration (CTA), border authorities and the police force during these episodes of importation and distribution? Or is there an unwritten and silent rule that the masses should be allowed to amuse themselves in any way they like in keeping with the officially sanctioned entertainment trends that have now become popular?

Whatever was responsible for this shocking breakdown of discipline and control by the Guyana Police Force and the CTA should be identified and dealt with. The Commissioner General of the GRA, Mr Sattaur, the Commissioner of Police (ag), Mr Greene and the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Rohee should be made to provide to the public an explanation of why so many squibs and other such devices were able to penetrate the borders of the country to the discomfort of those in Alexander Village and all other parts of the country.

They should be made to give an assurance that there will be no repeat. Christmas and the New Year are fast approaching. Are we to expect more cacophony? Every squib or firecracker that goes off during that period will ring out as a testament to incompetence and mismanagement in the relevant agencies.

That aside, the performance of the police force on the night of Deepavali was lacklustre though it had been aware that in previous years there had been a major problem in Alexander Village. Indeed, residents of the community had visited Minister Rohee prior to the festival to apprise him of their concerns that there would likely be a repeat of the problem and based on their account they were not taken seriously. This insouciance by the ministry and the police was clearly evident on the night of Deepavali. Residents were terrorized by revellers who broke down fences and virtually besieged the mandir under a carpet of squibs. The police had no adequate plan for crowd control in the area, terror reigned and there were token arrests. One village’s observance of this festival was completely overrun by revellers and the police failed to restore order.

It is quite possible given the state of law and order and policing in this country that the same thing may happen again next year in Alexander Village and other parts of the country. However, the police force, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the CTA have an entire year to design a plan to ensure that the irreverence and terror that flared up in Alexander Village last Tuesday is not repeated. We wish them success.