PEOPLE’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Chairman, Volda Lawrence, has lauded the heeding of her call for peace following the deadly and destructive protests in the past few days in light of the murder of the Henry cousins.
“My brothers and sisters from the Upper East Coast of Demerara and the West Coast of Berbice, I am pleased that you have answered my call for peace and calm during this time,” Lawrence said in a press statement.

She continued: “I stand with you in your call and protest for justice, for our fallen sons of the soil, namely: Orlando Jonas, Joel Henry, Isaiah Henry and Haresh Singh. As we stand up for what is right, we must not find ourselves on the wrong side of the law, lest our message is lost, and our cause is undermined.”
Considering all that has transpired, the PNCR chair called on the government and the Guyana Police Force to act with urgency to bring the perpetrators of the gruesome murders to justice.

PERPETRATORS MUST FACE THE LAW
Adding that the families of the victims need closure along with their communities and by extension the country, Lawrence said the opportunity to deliver justice should not be squandered and those guilty should face the full brunt of the law.
“I need closure and Guyana needs to heal. The people will not accept any outcome that is void of justice and we, the people, wish to make this very pellucid,” she said.

The main opposition’s chairperson said the protest must be solution-oriented and not driven by chaos, violence, and destruction.
She called on all supporters to refrain from such acts as justice is being sought and breaking the law will not serve such a purpose.
“My brothers and sisters, our protest must not end until justice is served. I am resolute in my stance to go the full mile with you, until we achieve our desired outcome, justice. But we must protest in a peaceful and civil manner, doing so with respect for human life, dignity, and property,” the PNCR official said.

SERIOUS INTROSPECTION
Underscoring that Guyanese will have some serious introspection to do in order to bridge the existing divide in the country, Lawrence said racism cannot be solved with more racism.

At the end of the day, she said “we all are sons and daughters of Guyana; we have to live with each other, we still have to travel together, go to school together and work together. And believe it or not we all want the same thing, and that is a better Guyana for all, young and old, rich and poor. We can only achieve this if we do it as one people, united in our vision for Guyana. We all belong to one race, and that is the human race. This is my call for unity.”

The protests started following the discovery of the mutilated bodies of two teen cousins, Isaiah and Joel Henry of Number Four Village, in the Cotton Tree Backdam, last Sunday afternoon.