Dear Editor,
IN my humble opinion, recent events have revealed the international perspective on the safety situation within our country. The recently concluded UN Convention to Combat Desertification at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, the re-classification of Guyana by the US State Department crime and safety report has Guyana listed at ‘Level 1’ i.e. exercise normal precautions (Guyana was previously listed at ‘Level 2’, i.e. exercise increased caution).

Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, over a dozen US congress men’s visit and other similar actions that expressed confidence in Guyana by major international actors speak volumes. Guyana’s security status according to the US State website is better than other countries such as France, Italy and the UK.

A Trafficking in Persons report has placed Guyana at ‘tier 1’ from ‘tier 2’ according to a Guyana Times report June 30, 2017. (Guyana Times a usual critic of the current administration) which only confirms Guyana’s great strides in the realm of crime and policing and the recognition of these gains by members of the international community.

The words “massacre” and “pirate attacks” in Guyana’s waters are no longer a regular fixture in the headlines, instead, there are innumerable headlines relating to the capture and prosecution of criminals and consecutive crime reports chronicling the decrease in the instances of serious crimes. Transparency International has recently lauded Guyana as one of 20 countries that have significantly improved their rating in the fight against corruption. Guyana has improved within the last seven years from 29-37 points and currently ranked 93 out of 180 countries.

So then it begs the question, why is there still a narrative that says crime is out of control or crime is worse than we think? The answer is in the source of the narrative. I would beseech the Guyanese people to consider the source of the depressing lamentations of those who intend to sow and sell fear among us. What is there to gain by belittling the thankless and self-sacrificing work of our security forces who risked their lives to combat a crime situation that is now much better than it was in times past?

Truly, one life stolen, one attack on a businessman or his family by bandits or one purse snatcher preying on vulnerable women are one too many. But let’s not ignore the hard-fought gains of the Ministry of Public Security and the reformed Guyana Police Force in dismantling several criminal enterprises for the political mileage of the opposition and columnists who seek to sensationalise their headlines.

Instead, a fair and objective approach should be adopted when it comes to reporting or pronouncing on the overall crime situation in Guyana as a matter of respect to our men of service. We owe it to ourselves as a matter of pride as a people to open our eyes to the reality of the situation and reject the political and commercial blinders foisted upon us by those whose purpose of a distorted narrative on crime is purely selfish. The international community sees the truth, it is time Guyana does too.

Regards
Kenny Valladares