GUYANA has become a very dangerous place to live in, reasons being, we are in the midst of a volatile group of youngsters who have no respect for law or life. The seemingly casual way persons are murdered in society with no redress, paints a gloomy picture for our future and our society. The case of the cold-blooded murder of 17- year-old Anfernee Bowman by a fellow classmate has society reeling from the recent onslaught. When a teenager could arm himself with a murder  weapon, lay in wait for another  to stab him multiple times to his heart of all places, tells you that this teenager has no inhibitions whatsoever where the taking of another human life is concerned. This is murder in the coldest, hardest and meanest fashion.
It is cases like these that prompt one to critically look into the underlying causes. It is this case, and God forbid, others to come which are  symptomatic of a wider, yes, deeper problem plaguing our country today. Firstly, this case reeks of bullyism coming from the accused Samuel Cornelius, who believes that the best way to deal with a rival is to eliminate him. You see this type of behaviour all around you wherein one believes, for whatever reason, another is in his way then arm yourself, get into an advantageous position and simply wipe him out. There is no question in my mind that the accuser’s mindset was channelled that way. I will further say that this is not an overnight decision of his. Rather, it is something he would have learned from his home or the environment in which he surrounded himself. When a child comes up in an environment where father or live-in boyfriend brutalises  childmother and bullies his way around the house or, when he sees his peers  shooting up their victims to get what they want, these commonalities often become etched in his psyche, and a violent, dysfunctional youth who is a danger to society is bred.
Secondly, and very important, is the fact that urban Guyanese society has a penchant for defending criminals. It is a common practice to hear that outpouring of sympathy for the accused; young, handsome and saintly in appearance “ow da boy can never do dat.” That is why I am very wary of the street vendor who “saw everything” that is, the victim chasing after the accuser. This so-called eyewitness who thought she saw everything, sickens me because this is the tell-tale behaviour of persons who readily rush to judgment when things of this nature take place. From all appearances, the accused was at the extra lessons site with a motive, well planned and soon to be executed. That vendor only saw the aftermath of the whole scenario– someone desperately trying to lay hold of his attacker, albeit mortally wounded. In my estimation that vendor is eyewitness to nothing. But this is sure evidence for the prosecution in a court of law.

My heart goes out to the victim’s parents and hope that justice is served speedily.