Dear Editor,
Whatever we do in Guyana, it should be obvious that the deterrence factor does not work in terms of crime and punishment. The reason for punishment (jail sentence, capital punishment, etc) is not just to see justice done, but to deter other would-be criminals. Minister Ramjattan should focus on tougher punishment so that it fulfils the aim of deterrence. There have been several cases where criminals torture, rob and kill their victims. The West Coast Berbice cases: criminals set fire to a house burning their victims to death; the same thing on the East Bank Essequibo with the elderly rice farmers. There was no need to kill the 23-year-old Wakenaam businessman. The criminals could have just grabbed the bag and fled. In the latter case an accomplice used his car to run over the already bullet-riddled body. And many more.
A cursory study of these crimes would justify the creation of a separate category of murders – they are not your regular run-of-the-mill murders – and a compelling need for the parliament to pass tougher laws to address these crimes.
There are many precedents for such special laws. New York State legislature a few years ago passed a law mandating capital punishment for the killing of police officers and public officials. The message says simply: Be careful whom you kill; in Guyana it should say: Be careful how you commit banditry – do not kill.
This nation needs a swift justice law, one in which a heavy dose of deterrence is embedded. The basic idea of the law is to send a message to would-be criminals: Do not kill your victims. Take the money (if you must) and flee.
Let Minister Ramjattan and his government review the results at the end of 12-months. This way you get to test the power of deterrence. If the promise of the law is fulfilled by reducing or eliminating banditry cum murder, the citizens will be full of praise of their government. If not, the public will take note that their government is trying as hard it can to stamp out banditry cum murder. None of this suggests that government should not develop a long-term plan to slow the high school drop-out rate, introduce respect-for-life courses in the schools’ curriculum, get guns out of the hands of career criminals, develop an effective decoy operation outside the banks, track motor-cycle bandits and create an economy that generates good jobs for all school leavers.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud
