Investigate and sanction pretenders

THEY proliferate over countries. They hog the centre-stage. They access massive funding –and most of them are bogus talk-shows, the membership of which merely mouth high-sounding phrases and engage in hypothetical scenarios, without caring about the real victims, because being members of popular lobby groups is the ‘in thing,’ socially correct to do and a way of getting one’s photograph in the press.

But the heart and soul of these advocate groups cannot begin to reach, much less embrace, the victims whom they claim to be representing. Providing real and sustaining help is altogether another matter – certainly most times not even a matter for consideration. Oh, there are rampant staged press and photo opportunities where some charitable donations are made and platitudes expressed; but then the victims have to return to their real world, where the ‘stop press’ moment enjoyed by the ‘benefactors’ and ‘advocates’ cannot begin to infiltrate.
People are suffering all across Guyana – indeed all across the world, especially women and children, who form the most vulnerable groups; but for the purposes of this editorial we will deal with Guyana.
Government has instituted many pieces of legislation and initiated many programmes in efforts to protect, educate and empower the vulnerable and establish wealth-creational opportunities for those who, for one reason or another have been suffocating at the bottom of the pyramid of opportunities provided by national policies formulated by the governmental machinery.
However, the reality is that many persons are falling through the cracks because the administrative constructs of the implementation agencies – the educational system, the various arms of the social services unit, the health sector, and in many other areas, are either lax, unprofessional, uncaring to the point of callousness, or corrupt – or all of the foregoing.
If Government institutes disciplinary interventions in efforts to either ameliorate or curb dysfunctional administrative systems, they are vilified and forced into making concessionary modifications because of powerful lobby groups, such as trade unions, Opposition parties, et al. The Neesa Gopaul saga is a case in point. The uncaring, unprofessional teachers were as culpable as the social workers for the tragedy that was Neesa’s life, and the curtailment of her life opportunities, as well as the bestial nature of her demise, primarily because of their neglect of their extended duties to a child who was in their charge. However, when those teachers were sanctioned, the outcry on their behalf was unbelievable and unconscionable.
This is the same farce that is played out with ruthless nurses whose negligence contributes to the unnecessary deaths of many persons, including mothers and babies.
But when a relative or a close one is affected by the unprofessional conduct of public servants, then the first reaction is to blame the Government.
Martin Carter wrote: “…all are involved, all are consumed…”  Guyanese fail to consider that sanctioning wrongdoing and criminal behaviour of any kind because the victim is not “…awe own” would redound on the entire society, because this type of behaviour becomes endemic; and sooner or later every Guyanese would need the services of employees in the Public Sector.
Lobby groups need to address these problems in a holistic way, because there are systems instituted to address all the ills of the society. It is easy to blame the Government for the malfunctioning of the administrative construct, but when it comes to supporting Government decisions to address these anomalies, the equation changes because that is not on the agenda of most of the advocate bodies.
Recently there was another lobby group formed to address women’s issues. The founding members of that group would make an interesting study, because each one has an agenda, and it can be proven that each one has oppressed another vulnerable woman in one situation or circumstance at one time or another. However, they are getting their five minutes of fame, even if this comes at the expense of exploiting the victims they claim to be representing.

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