The 2002-2008 Violence– The country needs to know

guyana chronicle editorial

President Granger on Sunday reiterated his plan to mount an inquiry into the violence which gripped Guyana between 2002 and 2008.The Head-of-State was at the time addressing The State of African Guyanese Forum organized by the African Guyanese organization, Cuffy 250. The victims of the violence of that period came from all ethnic groups, but African Guyanese young men were hit hard. Thus that community would obviously have an interest in such an inquiry. We support such an inquiry. This nation needs to know who the players behind that deadly period were in our recent history. Hundreds of African Guyanese lives were lost. The community of Buxton was virtually dislocated. Policemen were shot down. Innocent Indian Guyanese were killed and attacked. A government minister and his family were murdered. Outside of the violence of the 1960s, this was the most violent period in our recent history. What was behind the violence? Was it politically motivated? What was the agenda of the players? These and other questions are unanswered. The previous government sought to make mileage out of the murders of Indian Guyanese. It refused to properly investigate the murder of its own minister. There are hints that some of the then rulers were connected to the operations. If so, who were they? And to what extent were they involved and why? Was the then Opposition involved? We are now hearing of death squads with connections to high places. Who were the members of these squads and who their handlers were? The once proud village of Buxton was transformed into a killing field. People were randomly murdered. Women were raped. Children were turned into child soldiers. Under-age girls were bought by gunmen. Schools were disrupted. Even today, a decade later, the scars of that experience are still fresh. An entire generation of Buxtonions is negatively affected. Parents, children and relatives still mourn their loved ones. The village is still to shake off the image of violence. Some people are still afraid to go there. Guyana has had too much bloodshed, too much state-sponsored violence. It is time we learn what really happened so that we can correct the wrongs done to ordinary working class folk. We are behind you Mr. President.