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I WISH to salute the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and the Local Government Ministry for initiating the clean-up of our capital city. Our citizens deserve to live in an environment that is clean and healthy. While our city continues to lag and be labelled the dirtiest city in the Caribbean, we have an expired Mayor, Hamilton Green, whose primary objective is to use the Office of the Mayor to play party politics. This out-dated and “out of touch” politician is simply stuck in the political past.
Here are reasons for my opinion. A few weeks ago, a few friends of mine, all of Indian descent, were arrested by the City Constabulary and subsequently placed before the court for littering, but before that they were placed under arrest for loitering. These young men are just a few of the many Indo-Guyanese who have been targeted by the City Constabulary over the past few months. These young men made a complaint of racial profiling to the Ministry of Local Government and were referred to the Office of the Town Clerk who, in turn, promised to investigate.
The Town Clerk Ms. Carol Sooba instructed the Chief Constable to stay the charges and to conduct an investigation into the allegations of racial profiling. It was alleged that the Chief Constable was instructed by the Mayor to proceed with the charges of littering and to drop the charges of loitering. The Mayor then hastily called a press conference to accuse the Town Clerk of racial profiling, completely ignoring the victims of this most disgraceful practice by his City Constabulary.
One would have expected the Mayor to at least have the allegation investigated, as was the case when the person was arrested and charged for the murder of the policeman the other day. The Office of Professional Responsibility has indicated that they would have his allegations of torture investigated.
I have received numerous complaints from Indo-Guyanese persons via my television programme of them being targeted by members of the City Police, so when my friends became victims I knew I had to act.
I have even investigated some of these allegations myself and found evidence to support claims of racial profiling. I have witnessed for myself that members of the City Constabulary on work in areas and on the bus parks where mostly Guyanese of Indian ancestry wait for their rides home. I have also witnessed City Police targeting only young defence-less Indian boys and girls who are somewhat scared of police problems. Doing some investigative journalism a few times on the East Coast bus parks, I was even told by members of the City Constabulary that they work on the “Indian car parks” because when they get arrested they are scared and will be “easier to extract a bribe.” One officer even said to me that he cannot get pay nowhere else. Mind you, these guys did not even know what job I did.
Wikipedia describes racial profiling as the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement.
Racial profiling is nothing new to Guyana, but this practice ended in 1992 when democracy was returned to Guyana. When this same Mayor served as Prime Minister, many of our Indian brothers and sisters lived in fear of those that took an oath to Serve and Protect them. As a matter of fact, it is alleged that this gentleman gave direct orders to the Commissioners of Police that served during those dark days in our country’s history to specifically make the lives of certain supporters of the PPP uncomfortable.
What we see today is a subtle return to where we were prior to 1992. You see the Opposition has been emboldened by this one-seat majority. They have regained some degree of power and in all areas that they have control we see the return of the intimidating tactics of the past. They face a challenge to stack the Police Force with their thugs, so they have decided to use the City Constabulary instead.
All Guyanese must guard against the return of this and other controversial practices of the past. We have been living with love and respect for each other and I wish to take this opportunity to appeal to all Guyanese to reject this and all other forms of discrimination. We must also reject the intimidating and bullish tactics by members of the Opposition.
Mr Mayor, you should focus on the affairs of the city and forget about the‘settling of personal scores’. Use your office as a strategy room to give our citizens acceptably clean markets, parks, day care centres and streets and forget that that it is a party office or war room.
I have no confidence that the Mayor would ever entertain an investigation into racial profiling for he already knows what the findings will be. It would only solidify the point that he is stuck in a by-gone era.
Here are reasons for my opinion. A few weeks ago, a few friends of mine, all of Indian descent, were arrested by the City Constabulary and subsequently placed before the court for littering, but before that they were placed under arrest for loitering. These young men are just a few of the many Indo-Guyanese who have been targeted by the City Constabulary over the past few months. These young men made a complaint of racial profiling to the Ministry of Local Government and were referred to the Office of the Town Clerk who, in turn, promised to investigate.
The Town Clerk Ms. Carol Sooba instructed the Chief Constable to stay the charges and to conduct an investigation into the allegations of racial profiling. It was alleged that the Chief Constable was instructed by the Mayor to proceed with the charges of littering and to drop the charges of loitering. The Mayor then hastily called a press conference to accuse the Town Clerk of racial profiling, completely ignoring the victims of this most disgraceful practice by his City Constabulary.
One would have expected the Mayor to at least have the allegation investigated, as was the case when the person was arrested and charged for the murder of the policeman the other day. The Office of Professional Responsibility has indicated that they would have his allegations of torture investigated.
I have received numerous complaints from Indo-Guyanese persons via my television programme of them being targeted by members of the City Police, so when my friends became victims I knew I had to act.
I have even investigated some of these allegations myself and found evidence to support claims of racial profiling. I have witnessed for myself that members of the City Constabulary on work in areas and on the bus parks where mostly Guyanese of Indian ancestry wait for their rides home. I have also witnessed City Police targeting only young defence-less Indian boys and girls who are somewhat scared of police problems. Doing some investigative journalism a few times on the East Coast bus parks, I was even told by members of the City Constabulary that they work on the “Indian car parks” because when they get arrested they are scared and will be “easier to extract a bribe.” One officer even said to me that he cannot get pay nowhere else. Mind you, these guys did not even know what job I did.
Wikipedia describes racial profiling as the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement.
Racial profiling is nothing new to Guyana, but this practice ended in 1992 when democracy was returned to Guyana. When this same Mayor served as Prime Minister, many of our Indian brothers and sisters lived in fear of those that took an oath to Serve and Protect them. As a matter of fact, it is alleged that this gentleman gave direct orders to the Commissioners of Police that served during those dark days in our country’s history to specifically make the lives of certain supporters of the PPP uncomfortable.
What we see today is a subtle return to where we were prior to 1992. You see the Opposition has been emboldened by this one-seat majority. They have regained some degree of power and in all areas that they have control we see the return of the intimidating tactics of the past. They face a challenge to stack the Police Force with their thugs, so they have decided to use the City Constabulary instead.
All Guyanese must guard against the return of this and other controversial practices of the past. We have been living with love and respect for each other and I wish to take this opportunity to appeal to all Guyanese to reject this and all other forms of discrimination. We must also reject the intimidating and bullish tactics by members of the Opposition.
Mr Mayor, you should focus on the affairs of the city and forget about the‘settling of personal scores’. Use your office as a strategy room to give our citizens acceptably clean markets, parks, day care centres and streets and forget that that it is a party office or war room.
I have no confidence that the Mayor would ever entertain an investigation into racial profiling for he already knows what the findings will be. It would only solidify the point that he is stuck in a by-gone era.
