Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 31, 2008 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom
The events on Diwali night were brewing for weeks now and ought to have been predicted by our intelligence services.
That the serenity and holiness of Diwali night were upset by squib-throwing gangs which caused problems in Alexander Village must be a source of great concern.
Long before Diwali, a private citizen had expressed concern to me that there were a number of children who had firecrackers and who were firing these off at will. The private citizen expressed fears that these firecrackers would be used as a pretext for attacking citizens.
I think the police were faced with a difficult situation in Alexander Village on Diwali night. This area is normally thronged by thousands of Guyanese interested in viewing the traditional lighting up that takes place.
Because of the demographic distribution in Georgetown, there are certain areas in which people come from all over just to see the illumination of houses. Alexander Village, parts of Campbellville and Prashad Nagar are usually areas that attract a great many curious Guyanese.
From a traffic point of view, one therefore expected that these areas along with Eccles would have had traffic restrictions so as to avoid the usual bottlenecks that developed.
It is clear that the roadblocks were only thrown up in Alexander Village after the explosions of the firecrackers that were used as a cover for the attacks on public property.
In one incident shown on television, as the firecrackers explode, a man is seen ramming a private fence with his body so as to break it down.
It is clear from the footage shown on television that he was not trying to escape but was trying to either destroy the fence or to gain entry into the yard or both.
I do not wish to be hard on the police but I think that from next year, the police should identify the areas where the public flock, and should cordon off these areas to vehicular traffic.
They should then have a heavy presence in those areas to ensure that there are no attacks. Where I blame the police and the public for gross slackness is in the open sale of firecrackers.
At least two weeks before Diwali these firecrackers were being openly peddled in our markets and it amounts to poor intelligence and law enforcement work by the police that no action was taken to arrest those openly offering these dangerous incendiary objects for sale.
Persons have told me that on Diwali day itself squibs and all manner of firecrackers were being sold in our markets, something that I find inexcusable, because not only should the police have stopped this from happening, but also it would seem as if it was being done right under the noses of the City Constabulary.
I can understand the pain and anguish that the people of Alexander Village felt at what happened. I can understand how disturbing the situation was for them, especially for the devotees of the Mandir.
I want all of us here in Guyana to learn some lessons from what took place. One of those lessons is that we have to speak up before it is too late.
Our police force should have done their job, but since the public were seeing children with firecrackers, something needed to have been said. This was not done and therefore the public contributed by their silence to what eventually happened.
Secondly, as I mentioned before, there needs to be better planning involved for Diwali night. Certain areas such as Alexander Village should be cordoned off and closed to vehicular traffic. This would allow the police to exercise greater control over the area and ensure that things are peaceful and orderly.
Finally, I know a great deal of fuss has been made about the holding of events that are said not to be consistent with the sacredness of Diwali. I equally hope that next year something can be said and some guidance offered about the degree of ostentation involved in the lighting up of some homes.
I believe that this overkill in some instances is promoting an unofficial competition whereby some homes try to outdo others. This too should be deemphasized so that the holiness of the event will be preserved.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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