Yet again we call on Guyanese nationals to be extremely careful when visiting the homeland. Vigilance is a requirement not only for our personal safety from armed and violent robberies, but also when we are on public thoroughfares in what can be dangerous roadways.
The danger facing visitors in Guyana is so adequately defined in the following report from Kaieteur News: "These days, returning to Guyana for a well-earned holiday could turn out to be quite an unsettling experience, as many overseas-based Guyanese are finding out," the newspaper reported late last month.
It continues: "The nightmare stems from the brazen attacks by bandits who relieve the unsuspecting visitors of their cash and other valuables – even their travel documents. It is as if the bandits have a profile on all passengers arriving in Guyana, as well as the addresses they are visiting, and the police appear clueless to stem these unwelcomed activities."
At the time, Kaieteur News was reporting on an armed robbery committed against visitors Morty and Veronica Pyle who had arrived in Guyana a mere hour before. They were visiting relatives during the Easter holidays.
The Easter holidays also turned out to be a nightmare for yet another family visiting from the US. According to another Kaieteur News report, 14-year-old Sameer Insanali flew into Guyana with his siblings, parents, and grandparents to spend the Easter vacation with relatives in Berbice.
On the morning of Easter Monday, the boy was struck by an overtaking vehicle at Number 70 Village while standing on the road with a bicycle. He was hurled into the air and landed on his head when he hit the ground. The vehicle continued on its way.
Up to last week Sameer was in the Georgetown Public Hospital's High Dependency Unit. He suffered a fractured skull, a broken hip, swelling to the brain, blood accumulation in his head and internal bleeding. His parents are making arrangements for an urgent return to the US for better medical treatment.
The comment by the young man's aunt Zalina Deen strikes to the core as overseas Guyanese who frequently visit the homeland: "Why would people want to come back home (Guyana), when they can't walk on the streets properly; they can't go out anywhere because they are robbed; they can't sleep in their houses peacefully, and can't remain at home because of security purposes?"
Deen added: "This is the first time Sameer has been… to Guyana. He will never want to come back… How can someone be so cruel and heartless to hit down a child and not even stop? In America, if you hit a dog or animal, you stop to ascertain the damage."
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The war on terrorism saw a significant victory on Monday with the death of Osama bin Laden. In the words of France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, the killing of bin Laden was a coup in the fight against terrorism. It was the demise of a terrible man.
However, the war will continue against terrorism itself since bin Laden's death was not the demise of the terrible al Qaeda. Understandably, the war on terrorism remains bigger than the now deceased bin Laden. As British Prime Minster David Cameron has said, the West now has to be "particularly vigilant" in the weeks ahead.
As he announced bin Laden's death, US President Barack Obama also noted the ongoing concern, saying: "There's no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad."
In a troubled world where violence and cruelty reign, bin Laden's removal is a welcome turn of events. Hopefully there is a better chance for peace now that this significant and most identifiable icon of such violence has been removed from a war-torn landscape.
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