Friday, June 17, 2011

Presidential Candidate Brigadier David ineptitude in managing prison system.

Granger

slams

PPP/C

administrations

Once again citizens of Guyana must add to their long list of fears. Four criminals managed to escape from the New Amsterdam Prison owing to the mismanagement, ineptitude and a lack of concern by the PPP/C Administration. Today, Kevin Long Hair Narine, Rickford La Fleur, Vijay Seenarine and Vinood Goopaul are free to roam among innocent citizens, free to commit new crimes and free to paralyze their victims and families with new fears. Guyanese citizens, meanwhile, are left to once again wonder why their Government just cannot seem to get crime prevention right. Two murderers, a drug-dealer, a pirate and a molester are running free while citizens are left to ponder why this has happened once again. This escape comes on the heels of another prison breach last week. That one saw a prison officer being arrested in Suriname in the company of an escaped criminal. How many times do criminals have to escape to prey upon innocent citizens before the PPP/C Government makes national prison reform a priority? Prisons are overcrowded; prison staff are underpaid and poorly trained; prison facilities are subhuman after 18 years of the PPP/C Administration. What is evident is that PPP/C Administration officials either have not been able to make the connection or do not care how escaped criminals affect the psyche of the community. How it makes citizens feel vulnerable, and how families fear for the safety of their friends and community members. Officials are unmoved, and unmotivated to address the safety issues of the citizens. The citizens of Guyana deserve better. A PNCR Coalition Administration will ensure that prison facilities are brought up to human standards. Prisoner populations will be balanced to reduce over-crowding. Salaries of prison officers and police officers will be increased to reduce the chances of corruption and bribery and officers will be properly trained to effectively staff and manage a prison system professionally. The safety and confidence of Guyanas business community and private citizens are a priority and Government investment and expenditure should reflect this priority. The PPP/C Administration has had ample opportunity over the course of the past 18 years to fix the prison system. The prison escapee events in 2002 and the subsequent horrors unleashed upon innocent communities during the Lusignan and Bartica massacres were another opportunity for a national revamping effort, but changes were negligible. Yet another warning bell has been rung. For the sake of our citizens, we hope it does not once again fall upon deaf ears. Ineptitude and unconcern should not be allowed to continually bring suffering to the lives of the Guyanese people. Citizens must empower themselves to bring about the changes needed by the decisions they make at the ballot box or else many more years of suffering are assured.