Julius & Mother must facilitate investigation into Kwame Mc Coy’s alleged homosexual relations with boy

If Julius and his mother in the ‘Kwame-Julius’ imbroglio are genuinely interested in the elimination  of child abuse generally and the punishment of the alleged perpetrator, then they will have to do all that they can to facilitate a proper investigation by the police and child welfare authorities.

 

While Guyanese are often concerned about the performance of the Guyana Police Force for various reasons, including various perceptions of bias; it’s high time that victims come forward directly and indirectly so that at the end of the day any accusations levelled against the police and other State and non-state actors will be justified beyond contradiction.

 

Like in pursuing international legal remedies in most cases; the international courts must be satisfied that all domestic remedies have been exhausted. So, too, the Guyanese police must be given that fair opportunity to execute its mandate as far as is practicable.

 

At the same time, concerns about likely police intimidation and incarceration of Julius and his mother cannot be taken lightly in light of alleged batteryity forces of  persons at the hands of the security forces. Surely, this entire episode from contact with the alleged perpetrator to the recording and the publicity must be traumatic for Julius.

A midlle-ground  has to be found and any other similar cases that may emerge in the future. Options may include his signature and those of  his mother and other persons claiming to be knowledgeable about the entire episode to a sworn affidavit. Mind you, an affidavit will have to be ultimately tested in a court of law.

 

Should this approach be taken, it will be less of a stress and hassle on Julius’ mother and himself. At the same time, it will further enhance their position that they are bent on getting justice and minimize any doubts about their own involvement in black-mail, extortion and wiretapping.

 

As genuine as the tape sounds, the media must not allow this case to fall flat on its face whether in favour of the perpetrator or the victim. Failure to do so is to set a bad precedent that the media can be ‘used’ by people to achieve narrow, partisan agenda. The media have a responsibility to get to all sides of this sordid affair or its own credibility can be called into question, particularly if the mother refuses to cooperate to the full extent possible with the police and Child Protection Agency as well as any non-governmental organisation that is specialized in child and sexual abuse.

The police, too, need not wait on Julius or Julius’ mother to take steps to authenticate Kwame Mc Coy’s voice. It’s an utter shame and disgrace for the police to use the denial of one’s voice as an excuse for not using modern technology to ascertain whether one is lying. This must be done now, less the police force is accused of partisanship because Mc Coy is a functionary of the governing party and the Office of the President.

 

Clearly, the identity of the boy needs to be protected at all costs because that in itself can be a source of grave embarassment and trauma. However, this must be balanced with the dispensing of justice as an example to all right-thinking Guyanese.

Guyana’s broadcasting system cannot withstand a disaster

DEMOLISHED: Broadcasting House, High Street. Operations are now centralized at NCN Homestretch Avenue so all operations are affected at once

Tonight’s thunderstorm exposed how vulnerable are our radio and television broadcasting systems should a major storm pound Guyana’s coastland, particularly Demerara, which has the highest concentration of broadcasters.

Daylight-bright lightning followed by peals of thunder forced almost all television stations, including the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN) off the air. NCN’s three radio frequencies – Voice of Guyana, 98.1 HOT FM and Radio Roraima were also off the air.

In an era where disaster preparedness experts around the world place a supremely high premium on mass communication, mainly through the medium of radio broadcasting, the authorities must move swiftly to avoid a repeat of this total shutdown in the future. While both the private and state-owned broadcasters must be commended for taking steps to ensure that their transmitters were not damaged beyond repair; it is a critical period such as a storm or any other natural or man-made disaster that sends people scampering to either their radio or televisions for any vital information.

In periods of potential disaster and uncertainty, the State broadcaster assumes an even greater role in fulfilling its mandate of remaining On Air for as long as is practicable even through the roughest periods of the storm as is the case in many Caribbean islands that are hurricane-prone.

Time was when the transmitting station at Sparendaam was equipped with a standby emergency studio facility to continue offering limited broadcast content in cases of emergency. Perhaps, the shutdown on Sunday evening of both state radio and television must be the price that the government is paying for centralising all its radio and television operations in one building. Disaster cannot be seen in isolation of  national security and mass communication is also a key component of disaster management.

Perhaps, the authorities found no use in learning their lesson from the closure of the studios at the old Guyana Broadcasting Service (GBS) Hadfield Street location that had once served as a ‘back-up’ or standby whenever Broadcasting House at High Street had been flooded or had no electricity.

Though, as was stated earlier, there is a higher degree of expectation and responsibility on the part of the State broadcaster;  the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU) and the policy-makers in Cabinet should consider making it legally compulsory for at least three private television stations with the widest reach to have stand-by facilities in case of an emergency like Sunday’s thunderstorm.

Building specifications should include both natural and synthetic ‘earthing’ to withstand lightning, considerable elevation off the ground to avoid flooding, roof design and construction similar to those in the Caribbean’s hurricane belt and a standby generator with sufficient fuel.

Both private and public broadcasters should always have specially pre-recorded programmes on standby that can be played at a moment’s notice and be relevant to the type of emergency. Such content may include music, public service announcements and other programmes highlighting precautions to be taken depending on the circumstances.

While Guyana is on mainland South America and away from the hurricane zone, there are some basic lessons that both public and private broadcasters can learn when it comes to staying on air during a natural disaster. If its new name- Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is to mean anything, then it should play a lead role with broadcasters around the region in crafting protocols, procedures, content and codes for staying ON THE AIR in times of distress for a disaster will be much too late.