SEAN HINDS


Sean Hinds comes out of the dark and dangerous recesses of our recent history. In the relating of events of that era, he cleverly ensures that the confessions that he makes stop short of implicating him in any criminal activity, save that his admission that he was contracted to kill Ronald Waddell may point to involvement in a conspiracy to commit a crime. That admission is a matter for the Police.

Sean Hinds emerged against a background of seething political convulsions, which started immediately after the 1992 general elections, subsided, resumed after the 1997 general elections, subsided, then resumed again after the 2001 general elections. Into this sustained cauldron of political unrest directed against the PPP, was injected the criminal terrorism by the Mash Day 2002 jailbreak gang of five dangerous criminals who set up residence in Buxton. They were succeeded by the Fineman gang which killed until 2008.

Georgetown and the lower east coast lived in terror during the period that these criminals and the gang or gangs that formed around them, perpetrated their wanton killings, robberies, kidnappings, rape and other depredations in the most heinous manner. Indians and policemen, as separate groups, were the main, though not the only, targets and victims.

In a series of articles at or around the time that the crime spree ended, under the caption “Guyana Under Siege – The Failure of the Buxton Conspiracy,” Mr. Frederick Kissoon detailed what many believe to be a credible analysis of the events and activities surrounding the criminal gang and the political conspiracies that developed around them. The toxic mixture of politics, race and crime, the vain effort by an organized group of activists to politicize what was in effect a criminal enterprise, the struggle for supremacy between crime and politics, the motivations behind the killings and many other issues are explained and analyzed in depth. The series of articles is available online.

It is this period of great fear in the country and marked impotence of the security forces that Sean Hinds and his group emerged, went into action and gained notoriety. As yet unidentified as a ‘death squad,’ but recognized as a separate group, they had the tacit support of Indians who felt themselves naked under the murderous siege of violent criminals and without protection by the security forces. Some knew that any operation planned by the security forces against the criminals was leaked to the latter before the operation took place, so that they were able to evade confrontation or capture.  This was an era of full-blown criminal terrorism and warfare, with political underpinnings.

The truth of these events from the perspective of the death squad is available from Sean Hinds and others members of the death squad. With the truth comes justice but the truth could also confirm to those who felt under siege at the time that the security forces were unable or unwilling to protect them, while the death squad was. The past and continuing consequences of crime largely, though not exclusively, against Indians and the impact on their general outlook, political, ethnic and otherwise, is hardly ever openly spoken about, except once many years ago, courageously, by Eusi Kwayana. Sean Hinds is seen as a criminal by the Government, and is an unlikely hero, but one section of the population may well view him as a savior in a difficult time. APNU+AFC’s long-term viability depends much on if it is able to grapple with, and treat with sensitivity, this dichotomous reality of Guyana.

The pursuit of justice is a matter for professionals with an array of tools. These professionals include police, prosecutors, defence counsel, judges and juries who are required to work without government interference. Hinds did not ask the Government for amnesty, but the Government rejected it even before a request is made. The rejection of amnesty in this way constitutes government interference in the process of criminal investigation, in the prosecutorial process and in the pursuit of justice because it sends a message to the concerned agencies which need to work without oppressive messages of this kind.

One of the instruments available in the search for justice is the Criminal Procedure (Plea Bargaining and Plea Agreement) Act which was passed by the National Assembly in 2008. It facilitates the Director of Public Prosecutions to negotiate deals with criminals by agreeing to lighter than normal sentences for information and giving evidence against other criminals. While it is the Director who has technical oversight, it is the Police who do the job and in the past the Director has called on the Police to make use of the provisions of the Act. Prior to the passing of this legislation, and even after, many criminals have evaded prosecution by the failure of the Police to creatively implement plea bargaining. To allow for this to happen and to put more criminals behind bars the Government needs to be cautious and not shoot from the hip, or lip, at every opportunity, or news cycle.

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  1. The PPP did not reform or professionalize the corrupt and inefficient Police and security services after it (PPP), came into office in 1992.

    The PPP maintained the corrupt and inefficient Police Force, which, lacked public confidence, and even defended former commissioner Greene who was denied a US Visa for allegedly receiving proceeds from illegal drugs.

    The Jagdeo/PPP administration collaborated with criminal and illegal drug dealer Roger Khan (Roger Khan’s testimony in US court), essentially, undermining and subverting the Police and Security Services for Vigilantism and ‘phantom death squads’, and in violation of Guyana’s constitution and the rule of law.

    Also, the Jagdeo/PPP administration torpedoed the British funded Police Reform Program, effectively, derailing any serious effort to reform and professionalize the Police and Security Services to provide the necessary security to vulnerable communities across the country.

    Obviously, the PPP had a vested interest in maintaining a corrupt, inefficient, and weak Police and Security apparatus for its (PPP) political interests and power, while the communities lived under fear of unbridled criminal attacks and violence.

    1. RAMKARRAN HITS NAIL ON HEAD ON SEAN HINDS AND RACISM DIRECTED AGAINST INDIANS
      By Sultan Mohamedd

      Former Speaker Mr Ralph Ramkarran article “Sean Hinds” in his website conversationtreegy.com represents a noble and significantly profound welcome departure from his usual “kiss and tell all ” columns. Even Mr Sean Hinds deserves a trial like Mr Roger Khan got in court. Time will make them into far more significant eclipsing Accabre and Cuffy freedom fighters fit for monuments like Robin Hood has become.

      Mr Ramkarran, has for the first time reflected the extremely deep anger which Guyanese still harbour at the Buxton originating 2002-2008 crime wave which waged open terrorism targeting Indians just because of their racial origin. Against such a coordinated Taliban offensive Guyanese were nationwide completely defenceless. Mr Hinds, Mr Khan and many more have long become accepted as national heroes who came to their fellow Guyanese defense when the elected PPP/C government government was powerless to protect them. Even Mr Khan’s critics who are unable to address his valuable help in rescuing a kidnapped American diplomat held hostage by the Buxton criminals still remain nonplussed. The police were also flummoxed and needed his valued help as well.

      “Fiat justitia ruat caelum” is a Latin phrase which means “Let justice be done though the Heavens fall”. Probably more known as being spoken in England for the abolition of slavery, philosopher Immanuel Kant also interpreted it in 1795: “Let justice reign even if all the rascals in the world should perish from it.” These words are as old as the scriptures where evil is not tolerated. The ancient Hindu Rig Veda offers its own sublime Sanskrit contribution. “A-no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvataḥ” (1.89.1 Rig Veda) which English translation, means “Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides”. Simple, but profound is their message. “Generally our ability to perceive nobility is constrained by many factors such as beliefs, social system, profession, nationality, religion, politics, race, culture etc. At times these can act as barriers in seeing the truth without distortions”. (Wikipedia) The fight for justice and the rights to defense and survival are however natural notions which have been around for thousands of years and must be recognised regardless. Which Guyanese would quibble about the unjustified Venezuelans claim threatening our Essequibo? So, why the invocation of such age-old legal and religious maxims now, you might ask?

      Mr Khan and Mr Hinds provided adequate effective defense when the GDF headed by the current PNC National Security Advisor Mr Edward Collins and former Commissioner Mr Winston Felix, now a PNC MP and advisor at the President’s office, proved to be total failures, in effect,inadequate operatives paid by taxpayers money. Were their failures deliberate? Credit must be given to the Africanised Mr Freddie Kissoon for his personal outrage, as Mr Ramkarran reminds, that he publicly condemned the degutting of sleeping Indian children, women and men under cover of night. But why should it matter what he does once upon a time? The gruesome horror of armed men slaughtering their fellow Guyanese in premeditated and unprovoked savagery cannot be easily dismissed or forgotten to rush into any cohabitative shared governance with their militarized lackeys. What crimes did Indians commit to earn such unrighteous wrath except they were Indians? Buxton’s Mr Eusi Kwayana who engineered and exacerbated race animosity into an industry and directed it at his countrymen was responsible for Guyana’s race conflagration. He is a living historical non saint seeking self timing exculpatory fumigation to which he is most welcome.

      While the massacre found Lusignan residents blocking the public road, disrupting traffic and burning tyres in protest, the carrion insensitive at that time Social Services Minister Ms Priya Manikchand enraged protesters by exhorting the hostile crowd” “All you better stop or they (meaning PPP/C government) will hurt all you”. PPP/C stalwart and Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee was welcomed and treated with the usual courtesy.

      A bedraggled man who held up a picket crying out “we want Roger Khan” reflected the depth of anger – it still does- which fuels national angst. Unless Guyana’s armed forces are racially and ethnically balanced the temptation exists that similar eruptions can spiral out of control when unregulated. The possibility that future based Buxton criminals could again attack another wake at the neighbouring Enterprise village like those who terrorised a village’s mourning Muslim family, dousing and setting their family head who protested the invasion was unprecedented in its political barbarism. The ruling PPP/C government held no Commission of Inquiry and offered no financial compensation compared to its 2012 compensation to Linden’s belligerent rioters. Rioters demanded and got cheaper electricity rates to be continued by the PPP/C government for their privileged benefit which they alone enjoyed.

      Are the voices of justice awakening finally? Who must be held responsible are those within both the PPP/C and PNC coalition who forgot their human origins and mandate to provide national security in conformity with their sworn oaths.

      Who is to be held accountable now that the top heavy vacuous PNC militarizing cluster at the President’s office has become law enforcement’s leverage of political power? Why has crime suddenly increased by nine percent with the change of government given their skills?

      Why did the Buxton based criminals skip nearby Annandale to wreck havoc on Lusignan, one village away where Mr Eusi Kwayana was born and whose parents moved years ago to Buxton’s embrace? Its because displacement of south Annandale Indians has long become Buxton’s spillover displacing Black habitat enclave like Nonpareil and Enterprise have found similar incursions telling more about Buxtonians.

      Yet forgiveness is exactly what the late and popular Pandit Prakash Gossai became associated with during his annual dignified religious memorial of Buxton’s signal savagery of Lusignan. Why the Afrocentric Mr Kwayana bitterly attacked Mr Gossai’s appointment at the Presidential Secretariat was because the Pandit’s religion and race were found most objectionable. But Mr Gossai’s job was completely unrelated to his religion. Yet Guyana’s revisionist history records that Mr Kwayana’s entire King (original family name) were themselves recipients of frequent financial sustenance from Buxton’s premier Pandits Latchman and his son Sama Persaud, if truth be told. Ironically the latter Pandit himself fled Buxton during the 1960s race riots whiles Mr Kwayana’s mission publicly surged into national apocalypse on the eve of their 1964 massacre of Wismar’s entire Indian population.

      Up to this day, into the 21st century, later, Mr Kwayana has not found it expedient to clarify why he failed to ensure even his Indian benefactors in Buxton were secure from race violence.

      Will Guiana skate merrily back to the slime pits from whence our national depravity originated without so much as a slap on the wrists for race crimes against all humanity? To promote real Guyanese democracy as being worthwhile even in the most dire of circumstances, we must be rid from zealots and crimes which we have endured from the past. The PNC coalition is most legally entitled to merrily investigate and prosecute the previous government for their shortcomings unlike Dr Cheddi Jagan’s forgive and forget treatment of the PNC for its 28 years. Should bygones be bygones and let time get busy with cleaning up the PPP/C mess? Just like night follows day the PNC coalition is weaving its own hangman’s noose destruction for the next round when the PPP/C will be expected to do unto others as was done to them. It shall come to pass.

      Mr Speaker, sir, the ship you abandoned or rather from which you walked the plank is not half full but half empty now heading into uncharted waters. Keep your shoes pointed straight ahead to nowrang them like your venerable father did to everyone’s delight. Being AWOL is a most serious dereliction of duty in face of the enemy if you would know.

      Sultan Mohamed

      1. Well said Sultan Mohamed !!

        Winston Churchill once said that those who forget the past are bound to repeat it !!

        The PPP, including Jagan’s PPP, failed miserably in not equalising that GDF and GPF.

        Jagdeo and Ramoutar must be wringing their hands now in regret, for we all saw what happened, despite the showering of them with so much by the PPP, when the election results were announced.

        Their incompetence and failure to the people of Guyana came to the fore !!

  2. This bargain thing can’t work in a country where lawyers win cases simply because the police don’t gather proper evidence (either because of bribe, lack of experience or interess, etc) and in the case of those who were already convicted, they’d say ANYTHING to get a deal (see Allan Gates in the Walter Rodney COI). It is a dangerous thing to try specially when our police already do the impossible to seem as though they are solving crimes… Can picture them adapting an entire case just to call it solved.

  3. Corruption corruption….when will it disappear ?
    When anti corruption policy is publicly debated in parliament enacted into law and rigorously enforced by security forces,…..for starters
    Until Guyanese respect the law ….the law is an ass.
    Law and order are essential in society if justice is
    to be upheld.
    When “cheating” is considered “smart” we are but fools in paradise. In sport as in politics there will always be cheats but when caught the punishment
    must fit the crime.
    Guyana is facing an uphill struggle for a fair and just society. Hope it is not all in vain.

    My heart bleeds for de fatherland

    Forever the optimist
    Kamtan

  4. I have worked in the public sector from1970-2002 and finally left in frustration with my family for Ontario, Canada. I have had senior appointments and I have never seen the level of corruption that is staring my home country with scorn in the face. If you want something to be done in the public sector then look for the supervisor and offer him or her a raise and “aabra ka daabra” it is done before you expect it. Corruption has an insidious element that takes time to establish its roots and when it does, it becomes a total parasite with its own challenges to eradicate. A cousin of mine who lives in the United Kingdom had to secure a Guyana passport so as to avoid passing bribes to public officials. He said to me, that once the officials saw his British passport, a raise was solicited. During one of my return visit I followed a crowd and crossed at a stop light when the signal was changing to red. We were all corralled by two police officers in uniform and after a boring lecture on traffic safety bribes were demanded, if not we would all be charged. I paid my way and left the city almost immediately. Can the level of corruption be significantly reduced is any one guess but I do know, that it will be a herculean task for president Granger and his elected team of officials to control.

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