Dear Editor,
Today is the 25th day since the Hog Island murders, and still no answers from Minister Rohee. It’s time for a grieving nation to observe a one minute’s silence and launch a creative protest.
Salimoon Rahaman, whose reputed husband Dinanauth was murdered on the Hog Island boat, and whose ten-year old son, Ricky Jainarine, is still missing, is unable to find closure and peace. This nation that grieves with her is asked to observe a one-minute’s silence at 12 noon today (Friday) to reflect on the souls of Jainarine Dinanauth, Henry Gibson and Dweive Kant Ramdass, as part of a programme of creative protest against the failure of the government to fulfil its law enforcement mandate and demand that it solve this crime quickly, even if it has to seek help from developed countries.
Volunteers are requested throughout the country to help organize the one minute’s silence.
The owners of restaurants are asked to support this ‘silence and protest.’ They should ask their diners to stand and bow their heads for one minute.
The owners of motor vehicles in the cities, highways, and roadways should honk their horns for one minute, slow their vehicles and bring them to a complete stop for one minute. Turn the roadways – East Coast, East Bank, West Coast, Corentyne Coast – into a huge parking lot for one minute.
I ask owners of small and large businesses – stores, offices, factories – to please cooperate in this programme and organize their employees to participate in the one minute’s ‘silence and protest.’ Let this programme of ‘silence and protest’ be spontaneous and spread out to the whole nation. The government cannot remain detached from the cries specifically for better law enforcement and generally for more accountability at all levels.
The government, on the other hand, should feel confident about itself, and not get paranoid about a nationwide protest. These are normal and healthy practices in democratic societies aimed at making the government more accountable and responsive to the people’s needs.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud
