-his ‘distasteful’ behaviour a reflection of how he runs the city

SEVERAL ministers have said that the recent comments and actions of Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, have sullied his office and can easily be associated with his poor management of the city.

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, said, in a press statement, on Tuesday, that Mayor Narine’s antics and public expressions were totally uncalled for and could have been resolved in a more dignified manner.

“The mayor … has completely disregarded his Oath of Office and has forgotten that the call to service is one that collectively and individually requires upholding the Oath of Office, and, more importantly, understanding the development shift and the development priorities. First, to the municipalities and town councils, and, importantly also, to the macro development agenda of the Government,” he said before adding that the statements made by the mayor about President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, are outrageous, egregious and warrant legal interventions from the relevant authorities.

According to Minister Benn, Mayor Ubraj’s remarks were driven with “envy, malice, and religious and racial hatred.”

In calling for the mayor’s resignation or removal, he pointed out that his behaviour explains why the city is in its current deplorable state.

“It is my view that the actions and words of the mayor go a long way in explaining the deplorable state of the city of Georgetown, it’s critical public spaces and even the condition of City Hall and the services provided to citizens and visitors,” he said.

He called on citizens to publicly disassociate themselves from the hurtful words and actions of the mayor, which “could only have been intended to promote racial and religious disharmony, the continuation of the illegal occupation of spaces in the city, and the violence which it promotes.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, in her statement, emphasised that President Ali being a man of faith bodes well for Guyana.

She said that telling lies, spreading untruths and nurturing mischief have long been the modus operandi of the People’s National Congress and all of its aliases over the years.

“Having despicably overplayed the race card, the heavily disgraced APNU+AFC has now descended to a new and untouched level of low. Whilst we can all agree that Guyana has a history of racial tensions, we have always been able to pride ourselves on being a nation that can genuinely be described as the epitome of religious harmony – accepting and appreciative of all religions, faiths and spiritualties, and even the lack thereof,” she said.

She added that President Ali has successfully started dismantling the racial strain that our country has faced for decades and APNU+AFC is clearly running out of criticisms.

“They have resorted to stooping to what I believe, is their lowest yet, by attacking the religious harmony and freedom that Guyana is well-known for. The revolting utterances of Pandit Ubraj Narine, Mayor of Georgetown is nothing short of wicked and vile. As a man who purports to be of faith, Narine seems to habour much hate and resentment in his heart, perhaps too weak to separate his political bitterness from the noble practices of Hinduism,” she said.

Describing herself as a “proud” Hindu, Minister Parag said that she stands firmly in support of President Ali, and believed wholeheartedly that his dedication and efforts over the past two years are enough to dispel any of the baseless and abhorrent accusations that have been levied against him.

“On the contrary, the mayor continues to blatantly fail the people of Georgetown. In the years that he has been at the helm of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, Narine has done absolutely nothing to lend to the development of Georgetown. It was President Ali who had extended a hand of partnership to Mayor Narine in an effort to effectively serve the people of the capital city. Eventually, the Government was forced to bypass Narine’s gross incompetence to execute extensive road and drainage works to bring quick relief to citizens of the city, particularly in areas that were heavily neglected, even though they were considered to be APNU+AFC strongholds,” she pointed out.

She said she is therefore appalled that Mayor Narine would be brazen enough to cast stones at a President that has done so much for our country and in such a short period of time.

“I am certain that Guyana and all Guyanese are better off being led by a President who is God-fearing, as opposed to the APNU+AFC alternative who is conscienceless and lacks basic decency, let alone integrity. Moreover, the mayor’s attempt at an apology is pathetic and should perhaps be revised to at least give the illusion of sincerity,” she added.

Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, denounced the mayor’s comments on social media and called for his immediate resignation.

“You know, I thought that I heard just about some of the worst things come out from the mouths of people in the opposition. But it gets more and more disgusting every time any of them speak…It is our government that is building a ‘One Guyana’. It is our government that talks about unity. It is President Ali who talks about love and talks about uniting this country, and not only talks about it, but he also does it,” she said.

Minister Rodrigues emphasised that she was “disgusted” when she listened to Narine’s comments and called on Guyanese to condemn his utterances.

“I condemn this in the strongest terms. This mayor is unfit. This mayor should not be in a position. He should be removed, he should resign. Guyanese of all walks of life, religious communities, every single Guyanese should come out and speak out against this and condemn it because it is wrong what he said,” Minister Rodrigues added.