Dear Editor,
When I started this letter on September 8, it was intended to address the horror that was meted out to Isaiah and Joel Henry. It was to express my anguish …. Isaiah and Joel Henry were brutally murdered in the most gruesome manner. It was to express my shock and disbelief ….at the nature of the crime – the mutilation of the bodies, the viciousness of the murders. I can only imagine the pain and suffering of the family as they digest the details of the crimes committed against their loved ones. Words are inadequate to describe such loss, particularly acts that are so violent. Now I am compelled to add to this missive given the evolving situation in Guyana.
Much to my horror, as news proliferated through social media, a brutal crime suddenly became characterized as a hate crime – a race crime. Instead of committing the collective effort to support the authorities in conducting a thorough, transparent and efficient probe, athletic minds drew conclusions – within the blink of an eye. Narratives and counter-narratives started to be spun, fast and furious. Not to be overshadowed, Messrs Harmon and Granger, instead of providing succour, guidance and solace, used the crime as an opportunity for politicking. The less said about these individuals, the better. Unfortunately, they were not alone – many on social media took the cue and joined in stoking a narrative that relegated the gruesome murders to the sidelines of an ideological and political agenda.
This is not the first time in Guyana (or globally) that brutal and savage crimes have been committed. The victims are as varied as the peoples who inhabit this land. The perpetrators of the Henry murders may very well have been motivated by hate, but this is not something that can be concluded based on the ethnicities of the victims, or the ethnicities of the alleged perpetrators. It is not something that only hinges on the nature of the crime. Conclusions cannot be drawn based on the fact that certain people are detained in an ongoing investigation. The truth is that no one knows what motivated these acts. Investigations take time and expertise…. And it is only through a proper probe that these questions can be answered, and charges framed. The social media army calling for urgent and swift justice does a disservice to the process, themselves and the society they inhabit. The purpose of criminal sanction is not retribution or vengeance. It is unfortunate that the loudest do not educate themselves before they speak, post or tweet.
Instead of people being responsible while engaging in activism to seek justice, what emerged and continues unabated are savage and brutal reprisal attacks. As I write this, the brutal murders of the Henry boys have been followed with the murders of Haresh Singh and Chatterpaul Harripaul. We only have words to offer the family of these latest victims… words that are woefully inadequate.
We do not know how or who murdered Haresh Singh – but it does appear to be a savage and brutal reprisal killing. Harripaul was killed by a marauding gang – with the police presenting a version of events that does not withstand scrutiny.
As the hooliganism continues, stories have emerged – first person accounts – of people being savagely chopped, beaten, robbed, brutalized – some in the presence of officers of the joint services. Social media posts abound with photographs documenting these horrific crimes, beginning with the Henrys’.
What seems to be lost on the leaders who incited their supporters and those rampaging and attacking innocent civilians is that, as the late Martin Luther King Jr. noted, “hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness.” This is not the purgatory that anyone should want for Guyana.
I end with the immortal words of Gandhi: “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.” To those who seek to be the leaders of Guyana – I pray that they reflect on these words. And to my Guyanese brothers and sisters, Nelson Mandela said that “no form of violence can ever be excused in a society that wishes to call itself decent. What kind of society are we, as Guyanese, creating?
Yours faithfully,
Kowlasar Misir
