Since news broke on Sunday that two teenagers, Isaiah and Joel Henry, slaughtered bodies were found in the backdam of Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice (WCB), the psyche of this nation has been shaken. It is anyone’s guess how Guyanese would return to some semblance of camaraderie. Emotions are raw, fingers are pointing, and underlying the emotions is the ever-present bogeyman, race.
Isaiah and Joel’s postmortems not only answered the question that they met a cruel death but also suffered at the hands of those who committed the vicious crime. It would be hard to convince many this was not a hate crime. Another section of the media, on Wednesday, reported Crime Chief Wendell Blanham ruled out the crime was politically motivated. Social media’s reaction to this report was swift with two prevailing narratives- vindication for some or evidence for others the police cannot be trusted.
This is no ordinary crisis. Where doubt existed, this was removed with the murder on Wednesday of teenager, Harrish Singh in the backdam of Number 3 Village, WCB. This is the village of the Henry boys and approximately a mile from Cotton Tree where their dead bodies were found. Of no lesser importance is the murder Saturday night of another young man, Orlando Jones, of Number 1 Village Corentyne, Berbice. Thankfully, his friend, Mahendra Ramnarine, whose cheek was slashed survived the brutal attack. The Village Voice in the strongest possible term condemns these murders and expresses consternation with the killings and attacks.
Social media continues churning out its ‘news.’ And no public relations effort by the government will suffice in this tense and divided environment. Exploiting racial fears and mistrust, coded and overt, will not work. Likewise, political capital cannot be gained, either way. Only level-headedness which acknowledges and engages all the relevant stakeholders will de-escalate the crisis.
A government cannot go to war with its people, letting loose the police and army to fight civilians, and think it will secure peaceful resolution. It does not work. Again, the police must conduct a thorough investigation and pass their findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who will determine charges, if any. And where the major Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change coalition, has called for the removal of the Crime Chief and DPP, expressing no-confidence in their ability to deliver justice, their views cannot be ignored.
The Guyana Human Rights Organisation said it would make request to the United Nations (UN) Resident Representative for a visit to Guyana of the UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions, accompanied by a forensic pathologist to investigate, citing “public trust in an impartial investigation is virtually non-existent.” This should be supported by Government, Opposition and civil society.
Calm and trust in the system must be restored, including securing an independent prosecutor of repute if needs be. And though the police have not yet revealed the identity of those responsible for the Henry boys’ deaths, and held persons for questioning in Singh’s death, some already claim to know who they are. If the information on social media happens to be true, for either side, this could lead to more tension and possible confrontation.
President Ali should draw on the experiences of other countries that have wisley dealt with similar conflicts. He also cannot promise justice will be served and party officials, acting as surrogates or independently, by their statements are fanning not dousing the flame. It cannot be leadership that emulates United States President Donald Trump’s strategy, in the presence of violence, referring to those engaging in violent acts as “good people” or stoking racism. There is no goodness in racial confrontation or hate crimes. Instead, lessons could be learnt from Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden. In an address last week Monday he said, “Violence will not bring change, it will only bring destruction. It’s wrong in every way.”
Citizens need assurance the government will act for the good of the nation, not seek political mileage from a bad situation that has the potential of escalating to widespread violence. President Irfaan Ali, this crisis is yours to fix. Right-thinking Guyanese, of all races, will lend support if you seek to ensure justice for all.
