Almost every institution is on the brink of collapse
Dear Editor, First, since Mr. Jagdeo became president in 1999, the legal system has been on the brink of collapse. There are less Judges and Magistrates on the bench which means that the country will not overcome the huge back log of cases in the courts. In the meantime, litigants and witnesses are either dying; disappearing or becoming frustrated while the people pay their taxes for a legal system that did not and does not work efficiently. The legal system in Guyana or in any country cannot work without a competent and honorable legal profession. The Rule of Law can only be maintained by a competent and impartial judiciary free of political interference and corruption, and a Police Force which is professional, efficient and is above suspicion. This is not the case in Guyana, where political interference and corruption have infested the Police Force and where the impartiality of some judges and magistrates are compromised by their allegiance to the ruling party. It is time for Minister Rohee stop meddling into the internal affairs of the Police force and allow it to function free of PPP politics. The Police Force has been demolished by incompetence, political interference, corruption, and rogue cops and despite the formation of SWAT, this will continue unless there are serious reforms. The Police Force must be reformed and restored. Without the Rule of Law the citizens cannot get justice. A country with a failed justice system cannot attract investment and cannot create sufficient employment for its people. They will be obliged to seek refuge in foreign lands when they would have been able to live happily in a prosperous Guyana, if the leaders were competent, honest and incorruptible. It will take time to rebuild but the need is urgent and the people must find competent leaders who will work fast to restore the Rule of Law. Qualified men and women and not PPP operatives must be appointed to modernize the system. Second, the education system has broken down. The University of Guyana (UG) is in shambles. It is nothing like a university of repute in Europe, North America or elsewhere. Its demise is not with the students but with the inefficient Minister of Education and the PPP regime. A university must be properly funded to attract a qualified teaching faculty and to provide the books, laboratories and equipment necessary for higher learning. Money which could have been spent to fund the University has been stolen or wasted on other less important projects such as the Marriott Hotel. Political interference at UG is widespread and fraud and corruption prevail at every level. Rather than squander the taxpayers’ money on unimportant projects, the PPP regime should provide adequate funds for UG. If the University is well funded the teaching will expand and there will be more qualified graduates who will make a living not only in Guyana but in any other country. And should the system produce a surplus, the graduates will find opportunities overseas. Third, the rice industry is also broken and it is now coming back but it is still the victim of corruption, political interference and fraud—a situation which arose after the PPP took office and the Minister of Agriculture seems to do nothing about the corruption in the NDCs. The rice industry must cease to be a political tool of the PPP and must be managed by the farmers themselves as it used to be in order to become prosperous. Dr. Asquith Rose and Chandra Deollal, Esq
