President Dr. Irfaan Ali.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana--Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces in Guyana President Dr. Irfaan Ali has condemned politicians’ use of crime as a political tool.
He was at the time delivering remarks at the opening ceremony of the Association of Caribbean Police Commissioners’ (ACCP) Annual General Meeting and Conference which is being held in Guyana this week from May 12 to 16.
The ACCP Conference brings together police commissioners and senior law enforcement officials from across the Caribbean to discuss regional security issues, foster collaboration, and develop strategic initiatives to address shared challenges.
Whilst delivering remarks, the Guyanese head of state contended that “for too long” stakeholders in the region have “tiptoed” on two important aspects with regards to crime.
These are the politicising of crime and criminality and the glorification of crime and criminality.
“When political actors and architecture see crime as an opportunity for political puppeteering, it becomes dangerous. We must see crime for what crime is and every stakeholder, whether in government or in opposition, must have the same approach to crime and criminality,” the president said.
In Guyana, he highlighted that there have been instances where criminals’ caskets would be draped in the national flag and more so, leaders of political parties would speak at their funerals.
“We saw the glorification of criminals by persons who ought to know better,” President Ali said, adding that “there is no freedom fighting criminality or crime. There is no freedom fighting anyone who breaks the rule of law. Let us be clear on that.”
Only recently, several politicians in Guyana came out in support of those individuals who were caught on camera participating in the nationwide unrest on April 28. The unrest saw persons attacking innocent citizens, looting, and destroying public and private property.
Among those politicians who came out in support of these actions are Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Nigel Hughes and Leader of the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) David Hinds.
Meanwhile, President Ali has also noted that music across the region has also contributed to the glorification of crime and criminality. ~ iNewsGuyana ~
