Unparalleled Lawlessness

The news that the local five star Marriott Hotel has hit a snag in attracting the private investor financing component should not raise any eyebrows in this country.  From the very start those in the know recognized that the pursuit by the shady, behind the scenes local investors, for what may well turn out to be a nightmare, was a not well-thought out decision.
The fact that a court matter regarding the use of public funds and land upon which the hotel is sited has not yet been heard aggravates an already contentious situation.  The past revelations of monies being paid over for incomplete works which were later reassigned to another contractor for additional sums reek of impropriety.
The inaction that characterizes the Donald Ramotar administration’s approach to these aberrations makes him look as the most inept national leader in this country’s history.  This is regrettable since it is common knowledge that he inherited a raft of cabinet colleagues, many whose only claim to fame was an obsequious willingness to please his predecessor.
There is no evidence to convince anyone that enough is being done at the parliamentary level to bring this undesirable situation of opaqueness and lack of accountability to a screeching halt.  What people are seeing is a lawlessness that is unparalleled in this country’s post-independence history.  What some are conveniently ignoring is the fact that lawlessness breeds more of the same, and there is no guarantee that many will escape the consequences of their unlawful conduct.
The establishment of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) bears watching at this time and people should not fall prey to the belief that this body should have a breaking in period.  For far too long the national psyche has been assaulted by an attitude of entitlement by those in power so much so that malfeasance in public office has become the order of the day.  What will be interesting to observe is the degree of autonomy that the unit will be permitted to operate insofar as carrying out its mandate goes.
Maybe a page could be borrowed from the book of the Jamaican Financial Investigations Division (FID) which reportedly is investigating how officials have spent public monies on government contracts; the wealth of drug kingpins and their lawyers who facilitate the acquisition of real estate; and individuals who have amassed significant wealth.
The foregoing sounds all too familiar since those features predominate on the local scene.  Therefore it would be a reasonable expectation that the head of the SOCU would have taken his bearings in addition to being briefed to determine his priorities in terms of focus.
Ideally the work of agencies like SOCU would be significantly bolstered if International Financial Institutions play a more oversight role on how their parent organisation’s money is spent.  But the seeming reluctance to engage in a more robust monitoring of financial behavior by resident envoys is a conscious refusal to incur the wrath of recipient governments, and who are wary of being accused of interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
Of course it would have been conveniently forgotten that the monies which form the loan or grant belong to the taxpayers of the donor countries who have every right to demand an accounting of how their taxes are being spent.
The zeal with which the Guyana Revenue Authority has been performing its duties against critics of the government is worthy of note, and it is to be expected that the Guyanese people would see more of the same enthusiasm when persons openly aligned to the administration are suspected of participating in a scam.
But maybe that is an unrealistic expectation judging from official inactivity or stymieing on matters involving the Minister of Finance; the Town Clerk and her bodyguard; implicated New Opportunity Corps staffers; the alleged molestation of boys at orphanages etc.  These instances all speak to an almost vulgar acceptance of improper behavior that is observed and noted by the rest of the populace.
In the face of tacit approval for these increasingly pervasive acts of impropriety in high places it is no wonder that the moral values of the young and impressionable are being corrupted.