THE provisions governing Guyana’s Hijacking and Piracy Act of 2008 should be fully enforced to send a clear message to perpetrators that the government remains fully committed to the eradication of piracy.
Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy made this observation yesterday at a press briefing in the ministry’s boardroom, on Regent Street, where he reiterated the ministry’s commitment to protecting the country’s fisherfolk from such acts which threaten their livelihoods.
He made this pronouncement while expressing gratitude to  Corentyne fisherfolk and to the police for their cooperation which led to the recent arrest of a pirate gang which had been terrorizing fishermen in the area for some time.
The men who were arrested, are all fishermen attached to one of the biggest fish ports in the country, the Number 66 Fishermen’s Cooperative.
They were detained and subsequently charged on Thursday,  after they allegedly robbed two fishing boats  in the Corentyne River.
As to the impact of this recent development, Ramsammy said, “It is a big breakthrough and I would hope that the process, if it leads to conviction, will see the provisions of the hijacking and piracy Act of  2008 being fully enforced.
“This is a powerful act, and thus far we have not fully utilized the provisions in this act; it caters for seizure of property for those convicted; it also caters for lifetime imprisonment, and if there is a conviction of murder during the piracy , it also caters for death sentences.”
Ramsammy emphasized that the penalties provided in the act should be fully enforced, so that those potential pirates would know this is not just going to be “a slap on the arm’, but that there is a  possible death sentence  associated with the crime.
He also urged the members of the fisherfolk families to be especially vigilant, since the perpetrators are part of their small community; and he also impressed upon them the importance of cooperating to ensure that they are protected from these elements.
The  Agriculture Minister also pledged his  commitment to working along with the fishermen and the Ministry of  Home  Affairs, the Guyana Police Force  and the Coast Guard to end the practice  of piracy , so that fishermen  could pursue  their livelihoods.
Ramsammy announced too that the Ministry of Agriculture will also be focusing on enhancing the revolving fund for fishermen in 2012, to assist those persons who have been victims of piracy.