Working toward a culture of peace and non-violence
By Fr. Malcolm Rodrigues
THE UNESCO International Campaign to mark the Year 2000 as a Year for the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence was launched here in Guyana on October 1, 1999, as the last millennium came to a close. The Manifesto 2000, which gives focus to the campaign, calls for individuals and communities to pledge to maintain six values in their daily lives: ** respect for human life and dignity ** non-violence ** the sharing of time and material resources to eliminate social injustice ** defence of freedom of expression and cultural diversity ** promotion of behaviour which protects the environment ** the development of the community, including the upholding of democratic principles, equal rights and solidarity. I am aware that many Guyanese have signed this pledge, and are no doubt working to give flesh to the pledge. I am equally aware that it is not an easy task, particularly as far as the individual isolated effort is concerned. Therefore I wish to propose that those of us who have signed the pledge and those Guyanese who are committed to the ideal embodied in the pledge, consider concrete ways in which we can work together to truly make the Year 2000, a Year of Peace and Non-Violence. Let us begin by noting briefly some areas of violence as they have affected us in the recent past:- ** the violence of the mini-buses and cars on the roads ** the violence in the homes, especially against women and children ** the violence in our political and social culture ** the violence of noise and waste in our environment ** the violence of AIDS and drug abuse Three things to note about this list: firstly, it can easily be extended and go into double figures; secondly, all the five areas mentioned are closely related, none of them can be completely isolated from the others; and thirdly, the violence associated with the areas above affect us all and not only the victims and perpetrators of the violence. I wish in this Viewpoint to comment on the last two areas, namely the violence of noise and waste, and the violence of AIDS and drug abuse. Noise is encountered from the first signs of dayclean with the loud music from the mini-buses and the tooting of the horns and the sirens, and this goes on all day long. It would appear that we no longer have silent zones, such as in the vicinity of the Courts or hospitals, since the noise level on High Street and Croal Street is disgusting. Perhaps the Traffic Police need to be tough with the offending cars and mini-buses, and the Courts also. Banning offending vehicles for a long period of time from using the road will help to reduce temporarily the traffic jams around Georgetown. Discos, restaurants, bars, hotels and the mushrooming "liming spots" must be made to restrict their entertainment to the confines of their premises; in some cases one can hear the music from these places one block of houses away. Again the Police must protect the citizens from this violence, and citizens must get into the habit of reporting the matters to the Police until action is taken. AIDS and drug patients suffer a violence which is unacceptable and humiliating for us all. If you have to visit an AIDS patient at the Public Hospital you will experience a sense of rejection and non-caring, simply by the fact of where they are placed in that institution. They are made to feel unwanted and rejected even by those who are supposed to be caring for them. This is sad and again unnecessary. AIDS and drug abuse are illnesses and the persons are therefore sick and need help. The number of young men and women, drug addicts, who wander our streets, begging and searching for help is growing daily. These are victims of ruthless individuals and groups who profit from their illness; the drug-pushers and traffickers. Again we need to be tolerant with the victims and firm with the exploiters. I am aware that there is fear associated with this area of drugs, but unless we are prepared to overcome this fear then, the violence associated with it will be with us for a long time to come.
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