Dear Editor,
A BEHAVIOUR of lawless lewdness pervades the society. Over the years, it has become normalised and acceptable to the point where it is now a cultural phenomenon.

The genesis of this behaviour may be from myriad sources, but it is the people who have allowed for it to be entrenched as pop-culture. Nowhere and no one is free of it. All sectors of society contribute or buy into it willingly or unwittingly. Guyanese are subsumed in this culture of unadulterated bacchanalia, where music is enjoyed for how loud it is played as opposed to how melodious it may be. Oftentimes, it is mostly disjointed noise full of vulgarity and indecent lyrics. And this excuse for music is played 24/7, with absolutely no respect for neighbours, children, the elderly, churches, mosques or mandirs. Those who speak up do so to their peril and detriment. The decibels increase, the tin-sheet roofs rattle, the houses vibrate, and the inhabitants are shaken to the core.

Police officers may respond. A temporary respite may be granted, with the noise lowered but subsequently ramped up to maximum. Recrimination is often meted out by violators, influencers and those within the security apparatus. Bribery in the public service is blatant and pervasive. It is a “top up” for an otherwise meagre salary. It is how many survive. For others, grafting is a means to affording a more affluent lifestyle.

Having a drink or a “sport” with relatives or friends needs no special reason or event. Consumption of alcohol is as common as having tea or coffee in the morning. Over the recent years, the use of other recreational drugs has rivalled alcohol. Once inebriated, the tongue is loosened and the demons are out. Old grudges, pent up frustrations and the sudden but false sense of invincibility invariably give rise to heated expletive-laden arguments and fights. These things are like fuel-soaked rags. All that is needed is a spark. They escalate easily, and get out of control quickly. In the olden days, pickets would be pulled off fences, but the cutlass is most commonly resorted to. Broadsiding and chopping up results in horrific maiming, and in many cases death.

The abundant recklessness on the roadways by all and sundry is commonplace. Observance and enforcement of laws and rules governing vehicular traffic, speed limits, pedestrian passage, animals, parking of vehicles etc are blatantly violated and or ignored. Enforcement is laughable. Most violators take the easy way out – bribery. A few hours ago, on my way to the Mosque, a crowd was amassing at the market dam between the two villages. A school child had dashed across the road and a speeding vehicle tried to avoid hitting her. It was an unsuccessful maneuver. It struck the child on the roadway and hit two others on the parapet along with another man a further distance away.

The irate father showed up and threatened to douse the vehicle with gasoline and set it blaze. Emotions are raw and locals give their own versions of what transpired even if they were not on the scene. Yesterday, a local farmer was pulled over and the papers for his tractor was demanded by the police officers. They found nothing amiss. A frivolous charge was threatened but was quickly settled with a $10,000 “top-up”.

Last Tuesday, a family was attending a birthday party away from home. They had taken a designated driver along as they wanted to drink and knew that they would not be able to drive after. On their way home, the driver was pulled over. The officers stated that they smelled vodka. They had no breathalyzer and threatened to arrest the driver. The nervous driver insisted on his innocence but against his pleas, he was hauled into the police station while the occupants of the car were ordered to remain. The driver returned a few minutes later. He had offered a $3,000 “top-up” but the Officers insisted that since they were five of them, it should be $5,000.

A political rally was held last evening at Golden Grove. Things got nasty very quickly. Thugs and supporters of another party invaded the space with loud noise makers, bright lights and very colourful language, disrupting the rally. It would not be incorrect to conclude that the five police officers on hand were handcuffed.

Last evening the music blared almost all night long. It is now just after 9:00pm and the music continues again tonight. It is the end of the work week. I feel it will be a music filled weekend; all night long and into the wee hours of the morning. Early this morning, I was looking at the local drainage and happened upon the carcass of a cat. What I saw was horrific and disgusting. The cat had no head, legs or tail. It quickly dawned upon me that some sadistic person(s) had committed a gruesome killing of a domesticated animal. Not even the animals are spared of the lewdness and lawlessness that grips the nation. The media is replete of reports of disrespect for educators by students. Of parents and teachers fighting; of bullying, beatings and stabbing amongst school children.

This society has been losing its sense of decency, respect, manners and morals for a long while now. It is now spiralling downward into a dark abyss. And there is not much anyone can do to turn things around. It will take exceptional leadership and a future new generation to turn things around. I am reminded that God will not change the condition of a people until they change that which is within themselves. Guyanese must endeavour to first acknowledge the errors of their ways and then embark on redemption or face the reality of continued and increasing lewdness and lawlessness.

Regards,
Jay Mobeen