THE Working People’s Alliance (WPA) on Saturday issued a statement endorsing
“racist and inciting” comments made by its executive member, Tacuma Ogunseye during a public meeting held on Thursday at Buxton, East Coast Demerara.
The WPA called the accusation of racism as “laughable” and defended Ogunseye’s words as freedom of expression.
“WPA stands with Tacuma Ogunseye and withdraws not a single word of his statements,” the WPA affirmed.
Ogunseye, at the public meeting, continued the political opposition’s rhetoric of unsubstantiated claims of oppression being faced by Afro-Guyanese under the current government. He took it a step further insinuating that members of the Joint Services, which is predominantly made up of Afro-Guyanese should “turn those guns in the right direction.”
“I don’t understand how people complain that they are oppressed and they are holding guns in their hands. They are the majority in the army, in the police, and they still say they are oppressed. And they still say our problem is our own making. Anytime we turn those guns in the right direction it is over,” Ogunseye asserted.
He further stated: “We come to tell you that we will ensure that our brothers and sisters in uniform do the right thing and this thing will be over quickly.”
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali; the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall and other sections of society have since called out Ogunseye’s comments as racist utterances that can be seen as inciting violence between the Afro Guyanese dominated police force and soldiers and the mainly Indo-Guyanese supported People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government.
Chairman of the Joint Services, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, has since issued a statement calling for commentators to refrain from making remarks which would incite racial tensions and deviate from the promotion of the peace and security, which the armed forces are mandated to maintain.
Brigadier Bess reminded the citizens of Guyana that irrespective of its ethnic composition, the Joint Services of Guyana is an apolitical institution and will continue to uphold the noble position of service to the people of Guyana.
“It is guided by the Constitution which mandates it to stand firm in the protection of the law and in the execution of its duties, in keeping with its constitutional responsibilities, and not by any partisan values and interests,” the Joint Services Chairman said.
The Attorney General who is also Secretary of the Defence Board, also issued a statement, noting that Ogunseye’s inflammatory words cannot be justified under the rubric of freedom of expression as guaranteed by the Constitution, since Article 146 which guarantees such freedom, expressly excepts “…hate speeches or other expressions, in whatever form, capable of exciting hostility or ill-will against any person or class of persons.”
The, WPA, however, asserted that it stands in solidarity with Ogunseye.
“Mr. Ogunseye did not incite the forces as the statement insinuates. He simply called on the men in uniform to do the right thing and not turn their guns on Guyanese citizens protesting and resisting government overreach,” the WPA claimed.
