It is with deep sorrow and outrage that I address the tragic shooting of two young men, Ronaldo Peters and Dan Johnson, sons of the Buck Ville, Linden community. These lives, full of promise and potential, were abruptly taken under circumstances that echo a dark and painful pattern in our nation’s history — a history of extrajudicial killings under successive PPP governments.
This tragedy is not isolated. It is the consequence of a system that has consistently failed to protect our youth, particularly in communities like Linden. The unilateral appointment of a Commissioner of Police by President Irfaan Ali — without consultation, accountability, or transparency — has only deepened the public’s distrust in the Guyana Police Force. When the highest office in our land imposes leadership without consensus, it sets the stage for impunity.
The unilateral appointment reeks of illegality as it’s in breach of our laws and the provision of our constitution. What did we expect when a commissioner who has past retired age was unilaterally appointed?
Exactly what’s happening now is what played out in 2012 under the very watch of the commissioner of police , it was under his watch that … lives were lost, it was under his watch that excessive force was used in Linden, it was under his watch that there were extra judicial killings and oversight.
The people of Linden and Guyana as a whole cannot and must not remain silent. We must demand justice. We must demand answers. We must demand that those responsible are held to accountable. Peaceful protest is not only a right — it is a moral obligation in the face of injustice.
For too long, we have tolerated the PPP government’s use of state machinery to suppress, intimidate, and now execute our young men. The blood of Ronaldo Peters and Dan Johnson cries out from the ground. I stand in full solidarity with the people of Linden as we grieve, as we protest, and as we demand justice.
This must end now. Our youth deserve to live. Our communities deserve peace. And our country deserves leadership that values every life equally.
I stand with Linden. I stand with justice. I stand with the people.