–protesters, civil society and private sector groups call for resignation of City Mayor over ‘reckless’ outbursts
–Deputy Mayor distances self from colleague’s comments

PROTESTORS chanted loudly, “the mayor must go,” during an expression of dissatisfaction and disgust with the Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine’s attempts to promote racial and religious hostility among citizens.

The protesters who conducted a peaceful demonstration in front of City Hall on Tuesday, held placards with strong messages such as “vile and insensitive comments”, which were directed at Narine, who made his “reckless” comments while also influencing efforts to obstruct the removal of carts, stalls and other encumbrances belonging to vendors who illegal ply their trade along New Market Street, opposite the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The mayor, who is a practicing Hindu Pandit, baselessly accused President, Dr. Irfaan Ali of attempting to cause a “religious fight” and attempting to create a “Muslim state,” among other things.

Citizens, civil society and private sector groups have, however, rejected the Mayor’s comments and accused him of attempting to cause a “race and religion” war.
“Last night, the mayor made some very nasty utterances and tried to create religious strife because he said that the President was trying to create a Muslim state. That is race hate and religious hate.

“The Mayor has to resign now. Our country is growing exponentially. Why seek to divide us? Racism has no place in this society,” social activist Don Singh said.
Singh also called upon the Ethnic Relations Commission to investigate the Mayor’s race and religious comments.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC), in condemning the Mayor’s remarks and actions, said: “Narine, in the course of protesting against the removal of vendors on New Market Street, descended into making a number of wholly unacceptable, vile, obnoxious, religiously offensive and highly provocative personal statements publicly directed at the President of our country.”

The PSC said it was appalled at those statements and condemned them in the strongest possible manner.

“Narine, having realised that his statements were immediately rejected out of hand as offensive and dangerously divisive by the Christian, Muslim and Hindu organisations of our country, belatedly, attempted an apology.

“The Private Sector Commission is of the view that, given the high office and responsibility of the Mayorship of our capital city, Mr. Ubraj Narine has proved himself to be unfit for this office and is left with no alternative but to immediately resign,” the commission said.

The Region Three Private Sector Inc. (R3PSInc) also joined in the calls for Mayor Narine to resign.

“Guyana will remain a blessed country with its rich cultural and religious diversities, Mayor Narine seems to be living in a bubble with his remarks and assertions while holding the position of First Citizen,” the private sector organisation said.

The President’s personal intervention and involvement in ‘Men on Mission’ speaks volumes and is testimony to the fact that he is concerned about every facet of society and all religions and gender.

President Ali has also participated in all major religious festivals in Guyana and should be commended for being behind and pushing for “One Guyana,” the R3PSInc said.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) also said: “GCCI strongly condemns any hate speech or actions, that attempt to incite racial and religious tension and by extension division in our nation. GCCI is firmly persuaded that at this juncture of Guyana’s economic transformation, unity in diversity should pervade the nation’s landscape and airwaves.”

It went on to state: “The GCCI wishes to make it known that we assiduously disapprove of all forms of marginalisation, bigotry and discrimination perpetrated against any group of people. Within this context, the Chamber is also gravely concerned with the frequent trend of politicians making statements with the potency to incite unrest through racism.”

The Association for Democracy and Human Rights (Guyana) Inc. also said that the opposition officials in municipalities and democratic organs, continue to engage in “vulgar obstructionist behaviour” in an unpatriotic campaign to undermine national governance and the transformation of Guyana.

“The mayor who has abandoned his duties to maintain good order and functional efficiencies across the municipality he controls, is now seeking to prevent the central government from doing what he is failing to do.

“Not only did the mayor become one of the obstructionists in Georgetown on Monday night, but he also chose to engage openly in a vile attack on President, Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali and the State, with unfounded accusations of racism in the handling of the illegal structures removal exercise, coupled with the most irresponsible religious hate utterances heard in this country since independence,” the release said.

Deputy Mayor, Alfred Mentore has since distanced himself from his colleague’s ludicrous comments.

“… the comments made by Mayor Narine does not reflect my own views and that of some other councillors,” Mentore said, noting that there needs to be more collaboration between Central Government and City Hall.