…broke through police barricade, disrupted President’s speech

DIE-HARD supporters of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), on Thursday, stormed the entrance of one of the country’s leading hotels; blocked passage way into the building; trailed behind government ministers shouting slurs and defied orders of law officials as if untouchable.

Their actions came on the heels of the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM’s) announcement that the shortest time by which it can conduct credible elections is by the end of February 2020. Not long after, protestors dressed in party colours and transported by several mini-busses later parked at Red House, charged their way over to the nearby Pegasus Hotel.

There, President David Granger was expected to deliver the feature address at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association’s (GMSAs) Business Luncheon. News of his planned attendance had been previously sent out to the media and PPP leaders saw the opportunity for protest action through which they would call for “elections now”.

Although the police were on the scene, protestors were beyond the barricades set up, up to the entrance gate of the hotel. making it impossible for private sector business representatives attending the event to enter. Many of the protesters, led by Presidential-hopeful, Irfaan Ali, and Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, behaved in a unruly manner. There were no calls by their leaders for peaceful demonstration who convinced their supporters that there was no government in place.

CHAOTIC BEHAVIOUR CONDONED

At one point, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings, in the vehicle driven by her driver, attempted to enter the hotel. However, party leaders, Jagdeo and Ali, encouraged their supporters to restrict entrance to the building and to behave as they please. “There is no ministers,” Ali shouted to his supporters who, bolstered by his comments, echoed similar sentiments amongst themselves, “I recognise no title! And no President!” as they slammed their hands on the outside of the vehicle.

Although the police took the location of the commotion, protestors shouted amongst themselves that they would “turn over de vehicle” with the Minster inside. Just before this occurred, a group of aggressive male protestors, after refusing Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, entry by foot at the main entrance, trailed behind him as he sought to take the exit in.

They were led by former PPP Information Liaison Officer, Kwame McCoy, who has a history of mob-like behaviour and having over the years faced prosecution for throwing faeces on Freddie Kissoon and also assaulting Mark Benschop. McCoy and another adult male led a group of protestors to bully their way past the police barricade set up and trailed Minister Patterson, putting their placards in his way as the police sought to prevent the materials from coming in contact with the minster. They yelled at the top of their voices using terms such as “dogs”, while one male protestor, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, barefooted at the time, behaved so terribly that he was later seen throwing himself down at the feet of the police who did not harm him.

IRFAAN ALI IN FOREFRONT

While all of this occurred, party leaders, Jagdeo and Ali, were seen at the front ranks, face to face with law officials who surrounded the building, or, at some points, taking photographs with their supporters. When President David Granger arrived, he entered without challenge at the hotel’s exit. In the lobby, he was met by protestors whom this newspaper later learned had concealed their intentions to enter the building which is being seen as a breach of security.

“What we noticed was some of the PPP candidates were here but we didn’t see them with any placards; they came like casual customers of the hotel until the President came and then we realised that they had their placards hidden away from us. So, it was a kind of a breach of security. We couldn’t do anything else but call the police force to escort them out the building,” Security on Duty, Shawn Farnum, told the newspaper.

Moving forward, he stated that as long as the hotel realises that individuals plan to come on their property with the intent of causing a ruckus, the hotel will take stringent measures to get the police involved. “We would stop it before it goes further than what it was today,” he said.

MATURITY WAS EXPECTED

What the hotel security is also regretful of, was the entrance into the luncheon room by a small group of protestors led by PPP Members of Parliament and, Juan Edghill and Nigel Dharamlall. After initially entering the luncheon room, the function had proceeded as planned until it was time for the President to speak. The PPP officials then stood up at a table at the back of the room to protest with placards disrupting the flow of the event.
While some attendees remained quiet, others were heard contesting “this is not a political event…why are they doing this?”

As this occurred, GMSA Chief Executive Officer, Clinton Williams, instructed that the police be called in to remove the individuals. When high-ranking police officials arrived, including ‘A’ Division Commander, Marlon Chapman, the table of men and women sought to defend the disruption of the luncheon as a “right” because they were a part of those who “paid to attend”.

Enough coaxing from the police to avoid public confrontation and, with the advice of heads of the GMSA, the rowdy group eventually left the room escorted by the police.
When they left, the President calmly returned to his speech. Williams believed that the police could have done more to prevent the internal disruption. “I myself was surprised that there was not enough [police presence],” Williams began.

“It was unfortunate that it had to happen. I believe our politics demand a better approach to issues. We’re a private organisation, very proactive and we didn’t expect that we would have been posed with this kind of [behavior]. Com’on, people are mature, people in the business community, and we would have expected them to have acted in a more mature manner.”

Williams stated that GECOM has stated the timeframe in which it is able to hold new General and Regional Elections and this ought to be understood by the masses. “We would expect GECOM to do its work as the President is saying. We don’t want to intervene in their work and we cannot. We have to respect GECOM’s position; we can’t force them to do what [they cannot]; that’s their job, that’s their mandate.” Meanwhile, Jagdeo has told the media that protests like what occurred on Thursday will continue until the President gives an election date.