DR. Faith Harding’s Quick Impact programme (QIP) has condemned the shooting to death on Wednesday of three persons who were among hundreds of Linden residents who came out to protest the hike in their electricity tariff. In a statement issued yesterday, QIP said it stands ready to offer therapeutic care and other assistance to the residents at this time.
The group notes in the release that it becomes a tragedy of unknown proportions when citizens of a community gather to exercise their right to peacefully assemble and protest, but end up experiencing murder and mayhem at the hands of those employed to protect them.
According to QIP, Linden residents were only trying to bring the attention of their government to a plight which has come about as a result of that government’s intention and decision to implement what they see as an unconscionable hardship.
The release was signed by the head of QIP, Dr. Faith Harding. It said that every mother gets a tummy pain when a child dies publicly, whether or not she had delivered that child. It further added that last Wednesday, every mother felt a pain in her loins, whether or not she was conscious of it.
QIP said it joins the families of those who are dead or injured to mourn their grief. “Our hearts are broken by the brutality meted out by the police; our hearts are broken, and yet our hearts are full of gratitude for those doctors and nurses who continue to work wonders to heal those who have been hurt; our hearts are broken by the loss of teenage lives”, the release added.
Voicing the same sentiments expressed by many other groups, as well as the President at a press conference Friday evening, QIP said explanations have to be forthcoming to make sense out of that which seems senseless at this time. It added that it has taken note of the moves already in place to have the matter addressed, and the discussion held by President Ramotar and key groups and organisations in addressing the Linden situation.
QIP sought to remind those who care to listen that it is important and essential for government to have continuous training and competence assessments for those who hold the lives of  citizens in their hands. It called for this shooting of demonstrators in Linden on Wednesday to be the last such occurrence in the history of this nation.
“It is important that the political leaders be wise enough to make sure that they talk with each other in a way that heals,” the group’s release added, as it reminded that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding.
The QIP said it endorses the call by the Alliance For Change to have international teams involved in the investigation of the Linden shooting, as it weighs heavily on the way forward for the community and the nation.
On Friday evening, President Donald Ramotar said in an emergency press conference called at his office that he did not rule out the involvement of international teams aiding the investigations, and that the options are open. QIP also called for there to be strong trust between the government and the opposition.