Dear Editor,
I refer to the March 9 letter from Mr. Roger Ally, in response to mine of the previous day. Mr. Ally, as I recall, is a Guyanese who lives in Florida and has studied law. In these circumstances, I sympathise with him; I have come to the conclusion that, from two thousand miles away, Mr. Ally had less than a full appreciation of the situation – the term he used is ‘impressions’ – regarding the mistreatment and abuse meted out by the two child “protection” officers to the adolescent female last week in Stabroek square. Alternatively, the recent inclement weather along the US East Coast may have affected his internet service, thereby impeding his ability to watch the video. If not, then we must have watched two different videos! Nowhere in the images did I see where ‘the child…decided to pull a “George Floyd”’, as despicable and reprehensible as that cock-eyed comparison might be!
Mr. Ally has taken the strange and lonely position to ‘stand with the two Child Protection Officers’; he urges Minister Persaud to do likewise. Perhaps the news has not as yet traveled up to Florida but, days ago, the subject Minister already characterized the acts of the child “protection” officers as abusive, while describing the video as disturbing and unacceptable; the officers have been sent on administrative leave; the police have been officially notified of the incident; and an enquiry/tribunal has been set up by the Ministry to investigate the conduct of the two officers.
All I wish to do is to urge Mr. Ally to read his letter again, perhaps a little more slowly, in particular his last paragraph: there he talks about action that will ‘demoralize the people…and…eventually undermine the very structure of Child Protection in Guyana’. Respectfully, Mr. Ally has the argument back-to-front; it is the incredulous behaviour of the two child “protection” officers that would, to use his words, undermine the very structure of Child Protection in Guyana.
Regrettably, what the two child “protection” officers have succeeded in doing, as recorded in this hideous video, is to traumatise the child, publicly shame her and unlawfully expose her family and herself to unnecessary ridicule and odium, quite likely with prolonged consequences. Is this what you ‘stand with’ Sir?