Opposition Member of Parliament and Former General Secretary of the People’s National Congress, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, has joined several of her party colleagues including MP Ganesh Mahipaul, Natasha Singh-Lewis, Region Four Chairman Daniel Seeram and Georgetown Mayor Ubraj, in condemning certain remarks which were made at a public meeting hosted by the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), last Thursday night in Buxton.

WPA Executive Members, Tacuma Ogunseye and Rhonda Layne, have been coming in for harsh criticism over their statements, which have been observed as racially divisive and to be inciting violence.

Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, who was also on the platform has also been criticized for not denouncing the statements that were made.

The PNC/R has also not issued a statement on the matter, although it continues to be named as a party to the utterances.

In a statement to the media, Ms. Chandan-Edmond said the statements made at the WPA meeting were hostile and can create further tension in an already tense environment.

“Some of the speakers communicated sentiments which must be strongly condemned since they can lead to public disorder and anarchy in an already ethnically-inflamed environment. As Guyanese, we must move swiftly to initiate mature dialogue aimed at promoting harmony, tolerance and trust,” the former PNC/R General Secretary said.

For their part, the other four party officials said they were disappointed in the remarks made at the public meeting, saying that it was highly offensive to East Indian Guyanese.

“We want to make it clear that we condemn and distance ourselves from any attack on any race in Guyana, including our African brothers and sisters. While we understand that the speaker may have made the comments out of hurt for what is happening in some Afro-Guyanese communities, we cannot allow such conduct to pass without being called out,” the party officials said in a statement issued by MP Ganesh Mahipaul.

The party officials expressed their disappointment that none of the other speakers at the meeting denounced the statements and they have since issued a call for political leaders to speak out against all forms of bigotry and discrimination in Guyana.

The WPA meeting was also criticized by President Irfaan Ali and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.

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