Dear Editor,
The recent news about the three Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guards charged with crimes committed on one of our young citizens, Ramdass, made me angry and disappointed but very troubled. I remember that as a young fourteen-year-old, living on the East Bank of Demerara, on my way to an examination in my school in Georgetown, a GDF landrover with three male uniformed soldiers gave me a lift when I could not get transportation. One sitting in the front of the vehicle asked me if I was afraid, and I responded, “No, you are supposed to protect me, not harm me.” I remember thinking that day that I was in one of the safest places in the world. I went home and told my mother how I got to school that day, and she was not alarmed in the least neither did she give me any lectures about not travelling in army vehicles. The point is that there was a time in this country when we had confidence in our armed forces. But times have changed. Even United Nations Peacekeepers are now committing crimes. Well that is worrying.
I think we have to recognize that the problem of poor social capital is affecting our growth and will continue to affect the development of the country unless we develop a comprehensive approach to building strong social capital. And don’t let us fool ourselves, no one group, sector, class or race can address this situation or develop an effective approach to our problems; we all have to play an integral role in the process of changing the course of our country.
I would even state that for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) to be successful, all countries in the Caribbean have to work towards a programme of improving the quality of their citizenry. Every country in the region would have to work conscientiously on developing and maintaining strong social capital.
Embedded in the concept of social capital is a nation’s value system and morals. Social capital is really the thread that will hold the other factors of the society or the region together. At the heart of strong social capital is a respect for the rule of law, respect for life, confidence in the security forces, confidence in the functioning of the public and private sectors, a high value system and high morals, among others.
Criminal behaviour on the part of army officers affects the image of our country. If tourists are not confident that they will be safe, the tourism industry will not develop, even with the best policies, resorts and tourist attractions. If investors do not have confidence in the economy and our legal system, we will not attract them, even with the best of policies.
While making polygraph testing in the public service mandatory is a good effort to address the issue of corruption and enhance transparency, etc, there is need for a more comprehensive approach.
I remember working as a legal clerk in the Supreme Court Registry in the late eighties, early nineties when a lawyer came to the counter one day and stated that “whenever you are coming to this registry, you have to walk with your purse.” A group of us immediately signed a petition to protest the comment and took it to then Chief Justice Aubrey Bishop and by next morning then President of the Guyana Bar Association Peter Britton came to the registry and apologized to the staff for the comments made by the lawyer. Now that was high moral ground. I am not implying that there was not some truth in the lawyer’s statement but it was not correct for him to have made the statement which placed a label on all of us. The response from the President of the Bar Association and the Chief Justice was commendable and was well received by the staff since there were persons who were doing their jobs with respect and dignity. I mention this example to state that we have the capacity as a society to develop the correct behavioural and attitudinal patterns to catapult our country to another level of development.
Development aid and the technical cooperation programme in Guyana need to focus more on assisting in fostering stronger social capital. It may appear to be on the softer side of development, but it is absolutely necessary. It is the thread that will hold our society together and sustain our development. Otherwise we will have excellent physical capital – state-of-the-art buildings – while employees lack the capacity to provide an efficient service.
One day I saw a policeman on Sheriff Street in his uniform with a weapon in one hand and the other hand in the pocket of a mini-bus conductor and they were both smiling sweetly. I approached him and told him that I saw that he was taking money out of the mini-bus conductor’s pocket and that he was in uniform with a weapon and on duty. His response was, “No! I was not looking for money, I was conducting a search.” I told him that we both knew that was not what he was doing, and I said, “You could not have been searching him and both of you were smiling as if it was funny.” I further told him that I found it offensive that he as a member of the police force, in uniform and with a weapon in his possession was conducting himself in that manner. At that point he said that he was sorry. Some persons might have encouraged me to report him but while I thought of it, I also thought of the causes which would have influenced such behaviour and callous disrespect for the uniform he was wearing and the organization he represented. I thought of the broader issues of poverty and poor social capital in the country and it was very worrying.
There is a saying that man is a product of his society, therefore corrupt members of the joint services are what our society is producing and it troubles me that these incidents seem to have become the norm instead of the exception. I therefore conclude by reiterating the urgent need to build high social capital in our country and that we all must take responsibility. I believe that the time has come for us as a people – man, woman, boy, girl and child to decide where we want Guyana to be placed on the global spectrum. And what about our pledge? “I pledge myself, to honour always the flag of Guyana, and to be loyal to my country, to be obedient to the laws of Guyana, to love my fellow citizens, and to dedicate my energies towards the happiness and prosperity of Guyana.” What about our anthem, “Dear Land of Guyana”? Is Guyana not dear any more?
Yours faithfully,
Audreyanna Thomas
