Mayor Narine and MP Duncan granted bail over incitement charges

Amid loud chants to “free the Mayor” by his supporters, the City’s Chief Citizen, Mayor Ubraj Narine and Opposition Member of Parliament, Sherod Duncan appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan over allegations that they attempted to excite racial hostility, in addition to obstructing traffic.

According to the Police, Mayor Narine and MP Duncan, while in the vicinity of New Market Street on December 12, intentionally transmitted a video in an attempt to incite racial division. They were not required to plea to the indictable charge.

The two opposition officials were also charged for attempting to incite racial hostility to a section of the public on the grounds of their race. For each charge, they were placed on $100,000 bail each.

However, at the commencement of the case, the Prosecutor was unable to state the reason for the charges and that led to a recess.

Across in the Traffic Court, both Mayor Narine and MP Duncan were charged with obstruction of traffic. They were placed on self-bail.

Outside the Court, Mayor Narine told reporters that “democracy” is dead in Guyana, thanks to the current Government.

“Today, Democracy is dead in this country. I have been silenced…I wish to state, that I will continue to fight for the people of this city and of this country. We all have to stand up for democracy. We all have freedom of speech and we must stand together for the return of democracy,” Mayor Narine said.

Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, who was among APNU+AFC MPs present at the Court, said the Government is using the Guyana Police Force to target and harass members of the opposition.

Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, who was among attorneys present in the Court today representing the Mayor and the MP, said the charges are baseless and are intended to shut the Opposition down.

“The public is well aware that there was no such statements made by them on the night in question. These charges are part of a process by the government to shut us down and to shut the opposition down. The court today in an unprecedented move made orders seeking to gag, to gag the mayor, to gag MP Duncan from speaking about this matter,” MP Forde explained.

Weighing in on the issue, Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Khemraj Ramjattan said in no way did the Mayor’s statement incite hostility.

“It is a truth as I am saying that indeed the beneficiaries of a large amount of our monies through cash transfers have been East Indians, and that is why, shamelessly, this Government does not want to put on the website the names of all those people,” MP Ramjattan said.

According to Ramjattan, Guyana is becoming an emerging apartheid state as he condemned the government for “bulldozing” the food caravans and stands of vendors who ply their trade along the New Market Street.

Members of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir also spoke out against the arrest and the charges. She said she hopes citizens are taking note of the pettiness and disrespect being handed down by the Irfaan Ali administration.

Mayor Narine was arrested at his office yesterday and Duncan was arrested at the same office when he turned up to record the situation.

The charges came in response to the Mayor’s questioning of whether the President was turning Guyana into a muslim state by his refusal to engage the Mayor who is a Hindu Priest.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Defence Force has dismissed the Mayor as a Reserve Member of the Force over the statements that he made. The GDF said his services are no longer needed as a Reserve Member of the Force.