Dear Editor,

A few gunmen in Buxton have an entire village under siege. Law abiding citizens have to give in to their demands and toe the line or face execution, as has been going on for some time.

Shame on the government, which pays an entire police force and army.

This would have not happened during Burnham's rule. Burnham would have used the entire army to wipe out those criminals, whether they are in the village or in the backlands.

The poor performances by the police force in dealing with those criminals is laughable. Time and again a few vehicles armed with policemen venture into Buxton, fire shots, exchange fire with the criminals. The criminals flee into the backdam and the police leave until someone is killed again. That is the police's idea of crime fighting.

The army has the training, expertise, guns and manpower to seek and destroy which is what Guyanese want.

The PPP/Civic will have to rise to the occasion and show strong leadership or it will cost them the 2006 elections. Building roads, schools, water supplies, a stadium are not all. Life is more precious than anything.

Yours faithfully,

Baldeo Persaud