In a sunset presentation in the National Assembly on Thursday, PPP Member of Parliament, Vindhya Persaud, claimed that suicide cases in Guyana are linked to the loss and lack of jobs under the new government, the decline of rice and sugar production and even the proposed introduction of parking meters in Georgetown.

Persaud was the lead Opposition Speaker on an Opposition Motion to discuss the issue of suicide in Guyana.

She said “we cannot deny that the impact of daily hardships fueled by a stagnant economy, the curse of unemployment especially among youths in rural communities, the shameful and hurtful indiscriminate firing or laying off of persons whose families depend on their livelihood, and their employment, notably sugar workers and those who work in the public sector, many of times without notice or justification, the poor state of the rice industry, the impact, Mr. Speaker, of all these nagatives, is manifest in the spate of suicides that threw this nation asunder as the year 2016 begun”.

Persaud, who is a medical doctor, continued that “even now it appears as if the sword of damocles hangs over the man and woman in the agriculture sector, the public sector and the general society because they have a precarious and tenuous future as even their ability to maintain their family is compromised” She said “merciless taxation” and “the foray into shenanigans, to impose parking meters” may have also contributed to the helplessness that may have driven persons to commit suicide.

Persaud’s claims were strongly rebuked by Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence who called on the Member of Parliament to offer supporting evidence for her claims.

“The honourable member gave no evidence in terms of persons who were unemployed over the last nine months, assuming that in the last nine months persons were sent off the job, so she needs to produce the evidence for that to be given any consideration”, Lawrence told the House.

She said the government takes the problem of suicide as a serious issue and the Ministry of Social Protection has embarked on a programme to assist other government ministries and departments in addressing the problem.

Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence
(File Photo)

Lawrence told the National Assembly that the Men’s Affairs Bureau of her Ministry has prioritised the issue of suicide and its findings according to the National Suicide Prevention Plan of 2015-2020.

This plan identifies men as more vulnerable to suicide as the males are thrice at risk.

“In wake of these findings, the Men’s Affairs Bureau has drafted a suicide prevention strategy action plan with the key focus of awareness, prevention, intervention and post-intervention. Mr. Speaker the Government is taking action and we are not asleep,” the Social Protection Minister stated.

The debate raged on for a number of hours with several speakers on both sides issuing a call for the issue to be taken seriously and not be made a political football.

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan said the Government was implementing a national plan and he does not believe that the PPP which spent 23 years in office and left no plan behind, is in any position to criticise the government’s efforts.

It was under the PPP’s time in office, that suicide cases increased and the country was recognised as having one of the highest number of suicide cases in the world.

SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE: Call (+592) 223-0001, 223-0009, 600-7896, 623-4444 to speak to a Counselor 

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