By Ravin Singh

IN a multi-faceted society such as Guyana, where divergent cultures coexist, there is a need for Guyanese to be vigilant and to guard against all attempts of domestic terrorism, including hate speech.This view was expressed by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Friday evening during the farewell reception for outgoing US Deputy Chief of Mission Bryan Hunt.
The Government has been taking steps to promote social cohesion as is evident with the creation of the Social Cohesion Ministry, but in spite of these efforts, there is much work to be done.
And according to the Prime Minister, in Guyana “the ugly head of domestic terrorism” including hate speech has been appearing both in the streets and on the Internet, and the police must take stern action against the perpetrators.
Hate speech is a motivator of hate crimes. On June 12, some 50 persons were killed in an Orlando, USA gay nightclub by a lone gunman who holds strong ideological views against gay people.
The gunman was killed by police after a three-hour standoff. An additional 53 people were injured. The incident was described as the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in the US, and the deadliest incident of violence against people who identify with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) in that country.
The attack was widely denounced both as an act of terrorism and a hate crime.
While Guyana has never recorded such mass killings in the context of hate crimes, the country has seen multiple deaths resulting from hate crimes perpetrated against minority groups, more specifically the LGBT community.
Two years ago, a jilted man brutally murdered two members of the Guyanese LGBT community, Tyra Banks and Jada, in the middle of the street.
Last year, another member of the community, Noel Luther, 20, was gunned down. Tiffany Holder and Nandkumar Purnwassie are other examples of people within the LGBT community who have been murdered in Guyana.
Aside from hate crimes, hate speech in Guyana has not been limited to the LGBT community, but extends into the realm of politics.
CHARGED
Earlier this month, two persons were placed before the court and charged with attempting to incite racial violence and making death threats against President David Granger and former Presidents Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar.
Bibi Safoora Salim, 52, was recently charged and placed on $200,000 bail after she pleaded not guilty to using Facebook to threaten and make derogatory statements against President Granger.
Subsequently, Tameshwar Beekham of Corentyne, Berbice, threatened through a Facebook post to murder Jagdeo, Ramotar and PPP General-Secretary Clement Rohee.
With the existence of these hostilities which appear to be much more subtle than the Orlando shooting, Prime Minister Nagamootoo called on Guyanese to “nip all attempts at domestic terrorism” before it escalates to a situation similar in the US.
He also contended that the outgoing US diplomat played a major role in helping to curb the many divisions in Guyana, pointing out that he was directly involved in helping to reshape the divisive culture here fostered over a number of decades.
“Hunt had spoken on every issue in Guyana’s society; even recently he commented on the forensic audits and conflicts of interest. He has seen us through some difficult political times and even through the no-confidence motion in Parliament which has never been done before,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo said.
He went on to point out that Hunt came and experienced a change of Government which happened for the first time in 23 years, as well as the holding of Local Government Elections.
Hunt will be heading to Mozambique when he leaves Guyana on July 8. During his tenure, Hunt assumed responsibilities as Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Georgetown on August 8, 2013.
Prior to this assignment, Hunt served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, from July 2011 to July 2013, handling bilateral relations with the countries of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu
He was one of the first diplomats to declare that the 2015 Regional and General Elections in Guyana to be free, fair and credible.