I SHALL begin my discussion with a good old Guyanese proverb which runs like this: “rain nah fall a wan man doh mout.” I will also say that it would take situations of adversity for the opposition forces to come to their senses so that matters pertaining to the well-being of this country can be addressed properly.

Up until now the opposition benches are in a partying mode with their one-seat majority to the extent that serious and very important issues such as how to tackle the crime situation are laid aside.
The scant regard for the PPP/C party and by extension the people of this country has caused them to treat anything the government tables in Parliament as trivial and non-essential. Hence, serious life- and-death issues are not taken seriously. The point I am making is this callous disregard for people issues would one day come back to haunt them and haunt them it did.
Having said this I refer to the recent attack on the PNCR’s General-Secretary Oscar Clarke. He was beaten up, shot and robbed by bandits in a brazen invasion of his home.  The General-Secretary could have lost his life but thankfully, God has given him another lease on life so that he can speak of being snatched from death’s door.
However, persons in like circumstances cannot now speak because they are dead, killed in the most brutal forms and their belongings stolen. This is what I am talking about addressing the crime situation in this country. Does it have to take the armed robbery, near-death situation of the PNCR General-Secretary for something to be done about criminals?
Precisely the point because I refer to the Kaieteur News (tabloid that embraces the opposition) article captioned ‘Gunmen shot PNCR General- Secretary’ where the reporter quotes APNU’s Granger, “there is certainly a lack of security in the country and noted that there are at least three armed robberies occurring daily”. Then on to the key sentence “the bandits who committed the brazen attack had to be aware that the premises they had attacked was the home of the PNCR General Secretary.”
His statistics may be right, but isn’t it the same crime situation that the government seeks to address that Granger and crew so easily swept under the carpet? Is it only now that the Opposition Leader is aware of a security problem existing in this country? That is why I asked the question if it has to take an attack on a PNCR member for crime-fighting to be a serious issue? Hogwash! And what an asinine statement, “the bandits had to be aware that the premises they had attacked was the home of the PNCR General- Secretary” So Granger is telling the people of this country that armed banditry should be a selective thing. Yes, those were his exact words he cannot hide from it.
No wonder when the Ramwattie, Jaimantie Singh or Budram’s home is invaded it becomes “an alleged” victim of assault. There is no need to worry, nothing to be alarmed about; just one of those days. This is the naked truth straight from the lips of the Leader of the Opposition. In essence, these career criminals should first seek out the political affiliation and/or ethnicity of its next victim. This is very revealing for someone who wants to rule this country.
That is why PNCAPNU was very reluctant to deal with matters of crime-fighting.  Well, up until now. Definitely, Granger wants something to be done about crime in Guyana, right now! That is why I shall refer you back to my opening statement about the rain not falling on one man’s doorstep. Now that one of his own has suffered he is awakened to the fact that we have a problem and as a matter of urgency fix it. That was not the case say a month ago or a year ago when these same elements were called “freedom fighters.”
Yes, with the “right target” gun in hand by youths of a certain political affiliation this attack might have been termed a freedom-fighting exercise, Satyadeo Sawh’s execution is a case in point. Not forgetting Buxton, Linden and Agricola’s crime spree. Even when these guys are caught, the way ‘a suspect justice system’ deals with such matters is appalling. The fact is criminals are criminals and whether political affiliation or not if they cannot get what they want here they will go over there where even one of our boys live. They do not discriminate.

Granger would want to distance himself from that statement that those were not his words (tis the season for lies), but the facts are clear; such things should not happen to people of a certain ethnicity or political affiliation.  Therefore, the glossing over when plans are tabled for the solutions to the armed crisis. In closing, my advice to the opposition is stop the racism, stop politicising crime. Again, I say, let us put our heads together and stop this cancer from spreading.