I AM shocked and disappointed at the horrible and inhumane treatment of Fatima Martin, a 19-year-old Amerindian female employed by a city magistrate as a babysitter, based on allegations that she hit the child of the said magistrate, who retaliated by physically assaulting her. 

And though she was forced to endure all this, the poor and powerless babysitter was sentenced to five years in prison by another magistrate. Let me ask an important question here: is this the kind of justice and protection the Amerindian people of Guyana will receive by the magistracy and police should the parliamentary Opposition (PNC/APNU & AFC) be allowed (and I hope not) to run this country?
What I do know is that, generally, the Amerindian communities of our country will never give electoral support to the PNC/APNU and AFC. But is this the reason why Fatima Martin, a poor and powerless Amerindian female from a far-flung Amerindian community, was jailed for five years without legal representation?
Many Amerindian communities I have so far informed, have expressed profound sadness about the plight of Fatima Martin. But while the babysitter was not correct in hitting the child, a proper and professional course of action should have been taken to right that wrong by the infant’s parents, and definitely not by the application of cruel and uncivilised punishment, nor taking her to court, which I believe was totally uncalled for.
Fatima Martin’s unfortunate dilemma is, therefore, just an indicator of what can happen to us Amerindians should the PNC/APNU and AFC become the Government of Guyana.
This should never happen, so I am appealing to the Amerindian communities of Guyana to strongly take note, and keep on condemning the parliamentary Opposition (PNC/APNU & AFC), which are power hungry and Burnham-like.
PETER PERSAUD