Kalamadeen questions. Stabroek News Editorial. Monday 5 May 2008

Kalamadeen questions
Stabroek News Editorial. Monday 5 May 2008
http://www.stabroeknews.com/?p=3067

In its details, the abduction and savage murder of businessman Farouk Kalamadeen pose the same searing questions that the state, the government and the people have faced repeatedly since 2002. As always the major question relates to the performance of the police force.
When he was snatched on April 2, the police had no clue about what transpired. There were revolving-door arrests in the days that followed but no breakthrough. For a force that should have been on heightened alert following the two massacres and other abominations this was an extremely poor performance.
Kalamadeen was then held for 28 days before there was any major development. His body was dumped not far from Police Headquarters, Eve Leary - most likely a message to the police force from his remorseless killers. Yet again the force seemed to be none the wiser about what was taking place even though there are now barricades guarding the approaches to police headquarters. There was no tangible development in the immediate aftermath. It now appears that there was another opportunity for a breakthrough. This time, quite close to his place of business and apparently on the same day his body was deposited, Kalamadeen’s head was dumped.
Three opportunities were available to the police to make a solid impact on this case and they have failed miserably.
What quality of intelligence assets do they possess that would allow a well-known businessman to be abducted in broad daylight, held for 28 days most likely right here in GT, decapitated and dumped headless near to Police HQ and have his head left near to his business? Clearly not the type of assets and operational agility that are needed to winch the country away from the chasm of crime it has woken up in.
And what of the anti-kidnapping force which is supposed to be in existence and the special squad that has been mustered to hunt the perpetrators of the Lusignan and Bartica atrocities? Considering that the police have now drawn a link between the station attack that preceded the dumping of Kalamadeen’s body and the massacres, the latter squad should certainly have been in the fray.
Despite repeated assurances, the police remain incapable of mobilizing in the immediate aftermath of these incidents and hunting down the attackers in a systematic way.
The other question that is pertinent for the force - and it is its responsibility to tell the public - is what led to this brutal turn of events. Who would hold Kalamadeen for 28 days without demanding a ransom and then behead him? Who would do this and why? The answers to these questions have an important bearing on where the country is heading.
The truth of the matter is that these questions have been asked on numerous occasions of the police and the grade of fail has been awarded so often that it boggles the mind.
The force has not been able to do the job since 2002 and the country is sliding deeper and deeper into anarchy. Each heinous deed is mourned for a few weeks, teeth are gnashed, stentorian comments are delivered by the leaders and then the pages of the fairy tale are turned happily ever after until the next bloodletting.
This government apparently hasn’t the courage or the will to take the tough decisions on crime. It seems that it is now lulling the country into a false sense of security by repeatedly pointing to the still undeveloped British security assistance, sugar coated by corrosive attacks on the opposition.
This is so far a failed strategy and it will continue to fail. The government has seriously abdicated its responsibility to protect the citizens of this country and to provide them with reasonable security and peace of mind. End of story.