Extending his third visit to the bauxite mining town to continue listening to the problems of the residents of Linden was commendable.

Perhaps the overnighting and extended visits to Linden at a time of crisis over water and electricity, could now be considered as part of policy for the President to spend working weekends in areas of the Essequibo and Berbice as well.

Such an approach would surely be welcome by the people who are growing increasingly accustomed to the profile of a President always around when they face various kinds of problems and to offer practical help where more than sympathies are required.

Even his detractors would accept that Mr. Jagdeo is very much an activist Head of State, one who seems to be personally involved "on the ground" with the people.

In this context, we again urge the President to invite the leader of the PNC/R, Mr. Robert Corbin, for them to have a joint public meeting with the villagers of Buxton to listen to their grievances and, at the same time, let them understand the problems being encountered in flushing out the well-armed criminals from their safe haven in that East Coast village.

It is more than late in the day for the PNC/R to admit that Buxton is indeed a sanctuary for the criminals who have caused so much grief to this nation.

It is also rather trite for a spokesperson of that party to say that while the PNC/R cannot condone the criminal activities, the socio-economic problems should not be ignored. Nor, would the party condone "annihilation" of an entire village.

Social and economic problems in our village communities are not peculiar to Buxton and no one has spoken about the annihilation of an entire village and its people. That's irresponsible talk.

`Cleansing’ criminality
What President Jagdeo did say was that he had told the security forces to "clean out" the criminals from Buxton. The vast majority of law-abiding people of Buxton are not the target of such a "cleansing".

The real target, as the PNC/R and the police and army well know, are the dangerous criminals who are wreaking havoc on the lives of Buxtonians themselves, as they carry out their murderous, kidnapping and other criminal activities.

Let there be no political mischief-making, therefore, at a critical moment for concentrated national efforts to beat back the criminal challenge. Let there be an end to the double-speak that has offered comfort to the criminals who continue to kill, kidnap, rob and spread fear.

Having made clear his government's efforts in dealing with the distressing crime situation, the President also pointed last week to the need for "political space" - a message clearly designed for the main opposition - in the new initiatives to be pursued to effectively combat the criminal network.

It is encouraging to know that help should soon be forthcoming from the United Kingdom in the training of a SWAT team to support existing law enforcement agencies, and that the USA will also be providing help in the anti-crime battle.

The sooner such help can materialise the better it would be for Guyana. In the meanwhile, all sectors of the society, including the opposition and ruling parties and the private sector, have a moral obligation to meaningfully respond to the call from Police Commissioner Floyd McDonald for cooperation in the fight against crime.