- Press Release
The Indian Action Committee (IAC) is shocked and outraged with the escalation of criminal activities in Guyana especially since the beginning of 2016 in which the majority of the victims of these heinous crimes are persons of Indo-Guyanese origin, many of whom have been deprived of their hard-earned material wealth and, in some instances their lives.
The IAC has noted statements made by the Minister of Public Security about a decline in the crime rate but the public perception is that the crime rate has risen sharply because of a massive amount of unreported crimes.
The IAC understands that the Guyana Police Force is undermanned and the organization believes that urgent recruitment is required in a manner that involves representation from the country’s ethnic groups.
The IAC is calling for the resuscitation of the Community Policing Groups that were once prevalent during the previous administration.
The perception is that there is an ethnic flavor to these economic crimes which is counter-productive in relation to the government’s stated policy on social cohesion.
In the current situation of a constantly declining economy, the IAC is cognizant of the negative effects on foreign investments, local businesses, and the tourism and hospitality sector, all of which has led to growing unemployment amongst youths, many of whom have inadequate educational requirements for gainful employment.
The IAC wishes to remind the government of its pre-election’s manifesto promise of providing jobs for youths.
The IAC calls upon the government to swiftly, in partnership with the private sector, establish an enabling environment for job creation, and the organization envisages the setting up of a council comprising representatives of all the parliamentary parties, the religious bodies, the trade unions, the non-governmental organizations, civil society, the University of Guyana and other tertiary institutions to deal with this national crisis.