THE Roman Catholic Church of Guyana has penned an open letter to citizens expressing its concern about increased levels of “injustice and violence” in the country, and made a call for citizens to hold political leaders accountable for their acts.

In their letter, the Church stated that the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) of the Catholic Church undertook research into Catholic Guyanese views on justice and peace in Guyana, which the Church believes are views that are shared by a wide cross-section of Guyanese. In a document released in November 2015, the consensus within the local Catholic Church constituency was that “Guyana suffers increased levels of injustice and violence as a result of our inability to reconcile from earlier pain, inclusive of political and social pain.  An obvious symptom of our brokenness is a reduced level of socio-political trust.”

The release went on to state that in recent months, the JPC has noted an increase in the threats to reconciliation and trust particularly at a political level and listed items which they believe suggest that “the nation is on the wrong path”.

These items include: “The Hamilton Green Pension Bill 2016; the Durban Park accountability scandal; the controversial rental of a pharmaceutical “bond”; Audit reports, including on Pradoville 2 and other allegations of the misuse of state resources for partisan and/or personal gain; massive salary increases for ministers and others; “Baishanlin-gate”, the melting down of Guysuco and the manner in which the Rodney Commission was initiated and concluded,” the release listed.

The JPC noted, however, that it is more the tone of these issues that are the most worrying. “Those who have attended Parliament will know of the undignified and unproductive manner in which the people’s business is conducted.  While parliamentarians are obliged to listen and represent the views of their constituents, the inability to reconcile differences across the aisle serves to further alienate and frustrate the people. The common wish of the people for peaceful coexistence must not be ignored, but rather built on.  Our people are weary of the scandals and growing in skepticism of political processes and our leaders,” the release stated.

Since taxpayers’ funds are responsible for the most important systems of the country (political, justice, security, etc), the JPC believes that the instances of suicide, migration, violence and corruption suggest a massive failure on the part of the country’s leaders. They attributed onus solely on those leaders to address the situation and called on both the President and the Opposition Leader to engage one another and agree on a programme that “will relieve the nation of its pain and lead us to the promised land of trust in each other.”

This programme of healing, the JPC believes, must include constitutional and political party reform, and improved social cohesion and ethnic relations. “At this time of Advent, when Christians celebrate the desire for a new era in mankind’s relationship with God and each other through the birth of Jesus, we know the Holy Spirit will be with us to help in these difficult times.  This hope for a new tomorrow is not unique to Christianity,” the release said. The JPC then extended an invitation to all people of faith to pray for the nation and its leaders and urged citizens not to participate in the political efforts that they believe seek to divide the countries and to hold political leaders more accountable for their performance.