These suspicious fires

The Umana Yana benab which was built by members of the Wai Wai grouping at the behest of the Cooperative’s first Executive President Forbes Burnham, is no more.  From all appearances, at this time there is no haste to restore that magnificent edifice to its former pride of place as a historical landmark contribution by our first peoples.
Indeed, from murmurings at the ground level, the spot will remain vacant since the benab, prior to its destruction, prevented the Marriot Hotel from being seen by casual passersby. If these rumours persist, the more enterprising would want to know if the Umana Yana- a tribute to our indigenous brothers-was deliberately destroyed by fire to achieve the purpose of highlighting the ill-conceived Marriot.
Since its assumption to office in 1992, the number of government buildings destroyed by fire of questionable origin should be cause for a serious attempt to discover whether the PPP government – with a history of arson in the sugar industry to destabilize the PNC regime – graduated to burning other forms of state property in the form of government ministries and agencies.
It might not be as farfetched as some might believe because from all indications the destruction of financial and other records is one surefire way (no pun intended) of erasing evidence of acts of malfeasance, and the misappropriation of public property and finances.
A brief review of the incidents where government buildings were razed by fires would bring into focus the following:  the Ministry of Public Works and Communications – February 1996; Ministry of Finance – June 1998; Ministry of Health – July 2009; Ministry of Education – May 1999; Ministry of Agriculture – May 2001; Ministry of Housing and Water – June 2001; Ministry of Local Government – August and September 2006; Guyana Elections Commission – September 2006.

Ironically this government has not been proactive in addressing these instances of fire by convening public Commissions of Inquiry into every major government fire.  The conclusions out of the proposed assistance from the U.S. Southern Command for the Ministry of Health conflagration have not been widely disseminated if at all.
This inaction raises the interesting question of prior knowledge and official complicity, especially if the promptness with which one minister determined the cause of his ministry’s fire, is recalled.  When the magnitude of losses is considered there can be no acceptable reason for not actively pursuing all avenues to protect the assets of the state adequately.
Interestingly the places which have been visited by the firebug have all without exception housed extremely sensitive and vital information upon which the development of this country hinges.  These include the Central Tender Board; Finance Division of the MoE; Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority; and Central Housing and Planning Authority.

Perhaps coincidentally, the fires have occurred when an audit of one sort or another has been planned.  Claims of unsuccessful attacks featuring Molotov cocktails familiarly known as ‘channa bombs’ have also been made.
Strangely enough those improvised devices which did not ignite were allegedly hurled against – of all things concrete fences.  The more knowledgeable among us have suggested that such claims are only intended to distract from the mounting evidence of wrongdoing in our midst.  The last has been very evident in recent times with an official at City Hall being the virtual injured party.  Seemingly ignored is the fact that a particular habituÉ in the employ of the said official is not unknown to have a propensity for such actions which can then be blamed on opposing forces.
That those fires have been in abeyance for some time may be probably due to the employment of other innovative ways of covering up fiscal improprieties. No attempt has ever been made to conduct a forensic examination of those fires and it seems as if no effort will be made to get to the bottom of all those fires of suspicious origin.

Such attitudes in official circles reflect an indifference that is more contemptuous of the Guyanese people than anything to which colonial Guiana could have been subjected.  In such a climate of blatant disregard and the prominence being given to the Marriot there is no guarantee that anytime soon citizens will once again be graced with the imposing majesty of a restored Umana Yana.