AFTER VOTING against a People’s Progressive party (PPP)–proposed Elections Day compensation motion in the National Assembly Thursday evening, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman has recommended the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) or a Truth and Reconciliation Commission into these violent activities. He made this announcement in the House, during his deliberation on why the compensation motion should not be advanced by the opposition party.
The motion which stood in the name of PPP Member of Parliament (MP) Joseph Hamilton was three-fold. It first sought to solicit the support of the entire National Assembly to encourage the government to compensate the victims of Elections Day violence who suffered psychologically, physically and materially, due to the acts of violence which were “unleashed” on them.
Secondly, the motion attempted to get the government to agree to meet and consult with the victims and have claims for compensation addressed as soon as possible. And finally, that the government submits a report to the National Assembly within three months with regard to what action had to be taken.
But according to Mr Trotman, the issue of violence, particularly at the height of General Elections, was not something which was new to Guyana. He noted that Guyana was born out of violence including slavery and the horrors of indentureship, and as a result, it was not an issue to be trifled with.
And while this can be accepted as a fact, he noted that every person in the House could each cite an experience of electoral violence, either personally or anecdotally. As such, he argued that it was not a “one-sided affair,” where only members of a certain persuasion were subjected to violence.
Minister Trotman supported his argument by referencing reports received from the Rupununi where people who supported the now government were being harassed. “I received reports from Georgetown that people were being harassed and people were making attempts to snatch ballot boxes,” he said.
And while a Stabroek News report of May 12, 2015, reported on incidents which did not suggest that only one political party was targeted, the minister suggested that there needed to be a holistic and professional approach to tackling the issue of elections violence.
Further, in maintaining his non-support for the motion which was eventually struck down by a majority vote, Mr Trotman called for a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) or a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to examine this issue, which he contended would be a professional and holistic approach.

By Ravin Singh