“WHAT was there to gain?” This was the question posed by President Donald Ramotar, as he emphatically stated that slain political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing, who was shot dead in Diamond on Tuesday night, was no threat to the government.In an interview aired on the National Communications Network (NCN) Wednesday evening, the President roundly condemned the killing, saying: “Neither the Government, nor the PPP/C (People’s Progressive Party/ Civic) had anything to gain by it. Mr Crum-Ewing was not a threat to the Government or the Party, or any interests we have. He was no threat at all.”

According to him, suggestions to the contrary can only be based on evidence, and if this is the case, then the evidence must be brought to the fore.
“I have seen people saying that this is a political assassination. If anyone is saying that, we must assume that they have evidence; and if they do, then they must give that information to the police,” he said.
The President stressed that if there is no evidence to back up claims of political motivation, then peddling the suggestion will serve no purpose, other than to instigate problems in the society, an act that does no one any good, particularly with elections in the air.
“They should desist from instigating violence, and from creating perceptions about who is to blame, and for what purpose. We have nothing to gain; I do not know if any other force has anything to gain, but Mr Crum-Ewing had nothing to gain,” Mr Ramotar stressed.
The Head of State also extended his sympathies to the families and friends of Crum-Ewing. Since the incident, the Head of State and Commander of the Armed Forces has also called on the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to “leave no stone unturned” in finding those who perpetuated the crime.
“If necessary, and if it exists, find the intellectual authors of this act that was committed,” the President said, adding:
“The police must deal with this matter, otherwise, what they are saying could be construed as being instigation, and may want to instigate violence in our country. They must come to the authority that is responsible for that investigation and deal with this issue.”

‘Neither the Government nor the PPP/C had anything to gain by it. Mr Crum-Ewing was not a threat to the Government or the Party, or any interests we have. He was no threat at all’ — President Donald Ramotar

IMPROVED CITIZEN SECURITY
Turning his attention to the need for improved citizen security, he recognised the survey findings of the recent Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) which found that Guyana has the lowest level of trust in the police in the region and this trust has decreased over time.
“We must work to change that perception,” he said, adding that this issue must be dealt with.
The President added that steps have been taken to improve security. “We are trying to equip the police will all that is necessary,” he assured.
However, he agreed that success depends on a three-pronged approach, which includes Government’s efforts, relative to resources, and improved police response, as well as the political will.
Relative to the latter, Mr Ramotar cited the Opposition’s failure to support improved citizen security via their non-support for the Anti-Money Laundering and the Countering of the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) (Amendment) Bill, as well as their attacks on development partners, particularly the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
“The IDB has a US$15M assistance to enhance citizen security. The Opposition is calling for the IDB not to give that. How can the Opposition say they are against crime and prevent the resources from reaching the main organisation that you have to fight crime?” the President said.

A ROLE TO PLAY
Mr Ramotar stated too that every group and individual has a role to play in improving citizen security, including by way of making criticism.
However, he charged that criticism proffered, must be constructive in nature and not reflect criticisms and opposition only for the sake of it.
“One it is justifiable I have no problem….one of the big issues is the police response time and that is a justifiable criticism that must be addressed,” the President said.
He tackled the issue of “bad apples” in the ranks of the GPF and appealed for the hundreds of “decent” police officers not to be painted with the same brush.
“We have some bad apples yes, but the vast majority of police officers in the Force are decent people who put their lives on the line and work hard every day,” Mr Ramotar said.
On that note, he reiterated that each Guyanese has a role to play to bring to the fore the inadequacies, which is important to ensuring the success of efforts to improve citizen security.
The Commander in Chief concluded with the assurance that his Administration will do all it can to ensure that the Guyanese people are served in the best way possible by those in positions of service.

(By Vanessa Narine)