Alas! I’ll never see these other things here
As a young student–teacher, in my bygone days, I was taught to employ “repetition–for–emphasis” when appropriate. That meant that repetition well done served to re-inforce principles, rules, concepts you wanted students to understand and accept for a long time.
That’s partly why two of my issues today are repeats. Not laziness, I just do think they bear and earn repetition on this, my special week–end.
In early December one column was captioned “Saving Guyana’s Young New Criminals”. That’s partly because I’ve been exposed to a comprehensive project being implemented by Attorney-General Nandlall, which seeks to create meaningful public awareness regarding reform for Guyana’s Criminal Justice System. One primary and urgent objective of that on-going programme is the prevention and reduction of the current overcrowding in the country’s inadequate prison.
So in that column I outlined components of the reforms and upgrades to be implemented across our justice system, like inconsistent sentencing, prosecutorial competence, legal aid, restorative justice, the available alternatives to prison/custodial sentences and, of course, the state of our prisons.
In the early December column I discussed the various alternatives to jail–time for non-violent petty crimes and the young offenders. Before he was invited to enjoy long vacation leave, Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels was quite persuasively articulate – as the attorney general was – in detailing what the consequences of imprisonment for young offenders were. Four interviews I did last week Wednesday reinforced the director’s first-hand knowledge. And even succeeded in shocking matured me!
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Our prisons’ sordid sides
Prisons and jails are places of confinement, even limiting some normal freedom, for those guilty of various crimes based upon a society’s law – severe or light.
Penitentiaries, by their very name, are what all prisons should really be: institutions to inspire penitence and repentance and detainees’ willingness to be rehabilitated.
Our prisons did once offer academic courses/lessons; joinery; carpentry; tailoring; boxing, steel band training and such like. The position now? Well three of my interviewees last week agreed on one despicable aspect of current local prison life: rampant sexual assaults! Based on verifiable information their relatives and close acquaintances once incarcerated, they described sexual assaults, prisoner-upon– prisoner, in both male and female prisons in Guyana.
One female alleged that timid female prisoners in New Amsterdam are taken advantage of – with instruments – by hard core ladies serving long sentences. But this (allegedly) true story stunned me: at Lusignan years ago a young prisoner was sexually assaulted daily! The warders did little to prevent this abomination. Sickened, humiliated and physically desperate, the poor victim resorted to spitting into the face of a senior prison officer and followed up with a few weak punches too. After a beating he was placed in solitary confinement – which he welcomed.
What else goes on at Camp Street? Timehri? Lusignan? Mazaruni? Where can replacements for errant “collaborative” prison wardens be found?
How is ‘’business’’ arranged and conducted in our jails these days? Come on investigative journalists. Approach ministers Benn, Nandlall and Edghill.
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28/76 N.O – 1945: A glorious year!
Lightheartedness today. On the cover of last November’s best-selling, folk-culture-oriented annual magazine Guyenterprise ensured that the world knows that I’ll complete 76 years this Sunday (31st). I’ll be pleased to observe the anniversary of my birth.
But today this column also completes 28 years! Drums, horns, dancing girls! I thank the de Caires for allowing working–class expression.
And what a glorious year 1945 was! Allan Arthur Fenty was born in its first month. Germany surrendered unconditionally and World War Two ended. As Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt ruled the two (super) powers.
On February 23, 1945 a great fire devastated the commercial heart of poor Georgetown. But over in good old U.S.A. Elvis Presley appeared in public for the first time at age 10 and the Andrews Sisters took hold of the calypso Rum and Coca Cola.
What a year 1945 – and A.A.Fenty is still alive! Were you born in 1945? In January? Ho-ho-ho!
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So sad to realize I’ll never see…
Yes as I move on to 77 I feel strongly I’ll never experience certain “normal” things in my homeland. (A PPP “comrade” assures me that by 2030 my “dreams” will come through/true. I told him I don’t feel I’ll make it to 86!)
So repeat • I’ll never experience the Garden City of my youth in Georgetown • Le Repentir Cemetery – jungle will never become a civilised resting – place • Civil, quality customer–service will never happen in this land • Government and opposition will never compliment each other’s achievements – except temporary anti–Venezuela sentiments • Our entertainers will never mature as we listen to Jamaican sounds endlessly.
• Electrical blackouts will continue, only oil-and-gas revenues might rescue • The capital’s limited roads will never be upgraded.
I might just live to see the promised Ogle-to-Diamond new throughway. Poor me. Poor us.
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Just imagine! Ponder…
● 1) So if the current government prosecutes suspected thieves who served the last regime, it’s always political or racism?
● 2) As frequently repeated above, this weekend is my 76th! I now publicly appeal for a $76,000 cell-phone, lap-top or bracelet from the NIS or the Culture Ministry or the Berbice River Bridge Company!
`Til next week!
