Surviving chaos

A few days ago, I was in a school zone, when I saw a police car driving up the one-way with sirens blaring. I could tell it was not an emergency when I observed the two officers in the car. It was just their way of getting through the traffic quickly because in this country it seems that police cannot suffer like the rest of us in the daily traffic jams. I understand in emergency cases that they need to get through the traffic quickly. But it is common knowledge that blaring sirens are not always emergencies. They are usually speeding too. And of course, accidents and the loss of lives often occur because of speeding. But people dying on Guyana’s roads because of recklessness is common. Every time bodies are lying in the streets or pinned in vehicles, we will express outrage and shock and then it quiets until the next tragedy occurs. But the police driving up a one-way road, putting other drivers in danger, the children in that school zone and other passengers, is a perfect example of how chaos runs Guyana. Law and order and justice for all are like fleeting dreams as disorder and corruption are found in every thread unravelling in this society.

Almost two weeks ago I saw a police vehicle with the word ‘polícia’ boldly printed on it. I thought “Hmm, that’s new. Whose decision was that?”