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Jan 16, 2011 AFC Column, Features / Columnists
Violence in all its forms must be denounced and condemned by all. The recent developments of a grenade explosion in Stabroek Market, which realized one dead and a number of others injured, the throwing of an unexploded firebomb into the property of Member of Parliament, Ms. Philomena Sahoye-Shury, and the arson attempts at two schools on the East Coast Demerara, all signal very ugly incidents which must be met with outright condemnations.
Guyanese across the political, class and ethnic divide will all be adversely affected; very directly in some cases, and indirectly otherwise.
Since its formation in 2005, the AFC has declared its abhorrence of violence. Only recently AFC’s Presidential Candidate Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, pleaded in his New Year’s Message that 2011 be peaceful and free from violent politics.
The Police Force must make a special effort to identify the intellectual authors and perpetrators behind these incidents and to find out whether these activities are separate individual unconnected events, or part of a joint enterprise.
The AFC is wholly aware that such violence as has started this New Year will not benefit the public, or the credible opposition forces. It believes that the intellectual authors and the actual perpetrators are the only ones to be the beneficiaries of this violence.
Violence in a year when Elections are to be held will cause tremendous fear to be driven into the minds of electors; will cause major distractions from the important, dominant issues of the day; will create a contrived instability on the political landscape, and in a multi-ethnic society such as ours, have the ethnic-minded running back into their respective camps and circling the wagon as it were.
So Guyanese then must all ask themselves this question: “Who in this Election year are the beneficiaries of these incidences? The AFC pleads that all Guyana strive to ensure that 2011 be a peaceful year.
The Stabroek Vendors
The AFC regards the Government’s handling of the Stabroek vendors, after the grenade explosion, as ill-advised and tantamount to burning down the house to find the pig. There is matter in manner and such a bulldozing attitude is not in keeping with the humanism that is required whenever termination of livelihoods is concerned, especially for so many.
Even if Ministerial pronouncements from Rohee, Benn and Lall are correct that lawlessness existed there, such alleged lawlessness must not be countered by Executive lawlessness.
The AFC notes, too, how the vendors are being booted around and being used like a political football.
There must be a more systemized, orderly arrangement for the establishment and enforcement of vending in the City and countywide to bring a sense of certainty to the lives of vendors. This arbitrariness where vendors, by virtue of the acquiescence of the authorities, are led to legitimately expect that their stalls will not be removed, and then such a sudden demolition without notice, will create anger and hardships, and a disequilibrium which inevitably will result in a multiplicity of societal ills.
The AFC wishes to reiterate, however, that all of this has occurred because jobs are not being created by this Government so as to realize purposeful and substantial employ for able-bodied men and women. It is the fight to survive which forces able-bodied persons into being itinerant vendors in areas not befitting our once beautiful garden City, and country wide.
FULL RECOGNITION OF UN RESOLUTION
The people of African descent here in Guyana and elsewhere should seize the opportunities presented on the occasion of the designation, by the United Nations, of the year 2011 as the International Year for People of African Descent, by demanding, greater respect, participation in decision making processes, and integration in the “political, economic, social and cultural aspects of our society. Likewise, in this year, we expect that the promotion of their diverse heritage and culture will be enhanced.
The AFC urges that for Guyana in particular, that government, and civil society stakeholders, will meet to discuss and settle on a programme that gives full expression to UN Resolution 64/169, which proclaimed this to be the year of people of African descent. We would be failing in our duty if we did not state that. It is regrettable that the government of Guyana has not, in the first instance, already called the relevant stakeholders together to discuss and agree on initiatives to give expression to this Resolution, and in the second, given any indication whatsoever that it intends to honour the Resolution in spirit and letter, and how so.
The AFC calls for full recognition of the UN Resolution to ensure a successful year for the Guyanese descended from Africans, and urges all Guyanese to embrace the celebratory aspect of this UN mandate and to use the occasion to deepen their knowledge and understanding of things African, more particularly, the contribution of Africans to Guyana’s development, and their current situation relative to this contribution. The AFC will in due course unveil its plans for the convening of a Public Forum to discuss all issues relative to the resuscitation of the villages established by freed African slaves.
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