| By Ralph SeeramThe debate continues in Guyana on what constitutes fair compensation for the deaths of the three persons killed in Linden last July. The Linden Commission of Inquiry has made its recommendation which did not find much favour with the opposition while the Government seems to believe it’s fair.Guyanese in Guyana and in the Diaspora have varying views on what constitutes a fair price for a human life. Of course in the Diaspora, the sums awarded would seem very meager as compared to some compensation made in countries like the United States.Here in the United States, the criteria differ from state to state as well as case to case. The earning capacity or the person, the circumstances of the death, the skill of the attorney and sometimes the person’s social status are all factors that are taken into consideration.From time immemorial varying values have been placed on human beings alive or dead. Slaves had a price, alive that is,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, a dead slave had no value.Here in Florida one is bombarded by advertisements from liability attorneys more known as “ambulance chasers”, “If you lost a loved one you may be entitled to compensation up to $$$$$ call law office of so and so”.So we come to the Linden Commission of Inquiry recommendations, and what constitutes a fair compensation. Personally,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, I am not in a position to make a judgment on the award, as I have no idea of the criteria used by the courts in Guyana to determine compensation, suffice to say it should be guided by precedents established by the courts in Guyana.The truth of the matter, to make it very simple, NO PRICE can be placed on human life. Human life is priceless.Coming back to the Linden COI. The report in my view tried to appease everyone. There is no evidence the police fired the fatal shots but yet the Commission concluded that since only the police had guns they had to fire the fatal shots.Now in a court of law, those same jurists would have found the police innocent because of lack of evidence of their culpability.It is interesting to note that the COI also placed blame on some of the organizers of the protest specifically Ms Kissoon and Trotman. Shouldn’t they also be made to pay compensation? After all there was no evidence that the police fired the fatal shot, but there were evidence that these two organized what turned out to be a riot with burning, looting and highway robbery. It would be interesting to know if they made any contribution to relatives of the deceased men.The report also make mention of the lack of training for the police to effect crowd control. It is not only training but the culture in the police force,Andre Smith Jersey, where “brawn” is substituted for “brains”. There are many instances of police brutality in Guyana and there is no clear evidence that firm efforts are made to root it out. The Marudi beatings are an example.In Linden you had a riotous mob where the police had to take measures to defend themselves and uphold the law. In Marudi you had what was a complete peaceful protest, no threat to the life and safety of the police officers, no physical resistance,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, yet one police corporal played judge and jury and went on a rampage beating the protesters,Cheap NBA Store, including women and child.This is a horrible reflection of the Guyana Police Force,Jerseys NFL Cheap, and the blame goes right up to the desk of the Commissioner of Police.I am sure most readers must have viewed the video of the vicious beating of civilians protesting peacefully. I am not going to deal with the merits or demerits of the miners’ claim as there are procedures to deal with that. Suffice to say in civilized societies when peaceful protesters lie down blocking roads, entrances etc. the police just lift them bodily into vehicles and take them to court on relevant charges. They don’t go about beating innocent civilians involved in passive resistance.The fact that the Commissioner of Police has this corporal on duty still, is an insult to all law abiding persons. It goes back to the culture within the force.It was amusing to read a letter writer in last Monday’s Guyana Chronicle justifying the beatings inflicted on the woman and child. This fool who I am told is in the security business, must have graduated from the “school of the blind” because anyone who viewed that video cannot conclude that that police corporal “should be recognized for doing excellent work with his colleagues”.This idiot went on to write,Discount Adidas Shoes Australia, “the law allows the police to use a baton to uphold the law but instead he used a whip to create fear”. The police were not facing a riotous situation; there were defenseless men and women and a child on the ground.I am on record as defending the actions of the GPF to an extent at Linden, the police have a difficult job in upholding the Rule of Law; they stand between anarchy and law and order. In a riotous situation they need to take appropriate actions to restore order and it does not help when they are second guessed in hindsight by politicians for political gains. Officers must not be afraid to carry out their duties, worrying whether they might be demoted for their actions.Therefore it is necessary that the force implements training that would reflect a professional and impartial police force. This obviously starts at the top. The Marudi beating is a case in point.Ralph Seeram can be reached at: [email protected] |
