by Roman Catholic Bishop, Francis Alleyne.

Ten children in a mini-bus commuting from Georgetown to home in Diamond are delayed in traffic for hours and witness fire, and confrontation between police and civilians; they hear verbal threats and harsh language.  They are scared, tired, hungry and in tears.  There has to be another way.

Frightening new images and haunting memories link the past with the present.  No one, no community, and certainly not the nation benefit from the assaults and injuries inflicted by waiting criminal opportunists and stealth operators.  All the noble aims and intentions are smothered and lost in the graphics of fires and masks and detritus.  Nobody benefits.

There has to be a different and responsible way, a new untried approach on how to address honestly the sharp disagreements and roiling controversies that plague.  It cannot be the pointless spectacle of political players seizing the mayhem of the streets to berate each other publicly as to origin and responsibility.  This strategy is over used and has consistently proven not helpful to those genuinely interested in harmony and progress, whether at the community level or for the nation as a whole.  Indeed, the efforts of those committed to building and uplifting are smothered and overwhelmed by the postures and language.  There has to be-must be-a better way.

It cannot be where the young children, the elderly, the worker, the neighborhood activist, and all those engaged in wholesome endeavors are targeted and victimized.  And while the besieged Guyana Police Force may have made its share of mistakes, it needs to be encouraged in the honorable discharge of its onerous duties; to be urged to change rapidly from within; and to be supported in any attempts to become a truly respectable body in service of the nation.  Let us refrain from further maligning of the GPF; rather let there be the patience of Christian exhortation and understanding.

Further, there is, as Christians, an obligation to be constructive in dialogue, and responsible in action.  We must remember the example of Jesus Christ: Time and again, he was tempted, baited, pushed, and squeezed.  Each and every time, he rose above the circumstances, the schemers, the thorns, and the moment.  He did so through love, through compassion and through a devotion to what is right and what is possible.  He is our precedent, our role model, and the reality of our faith.

There is another way.  All of us have a share in the uplifting and progress of this nation of ours.  Let us do so in a spirit of genuine commitment and steadfast dedication, as the search for a better tomorrow continues.  There has to be another way….