The Opposition Member of Parliament are following their Leader and standing by their man and his statements on Guyanese of indian origin being attacked in Guyana since the new government took office.
At a Wednesday press conference, PPP Member of Parliament with responsibility for legal affairs, Anil Nandlall said the government’s criticism of Jagdeo’s statements that he recently made in New York, may be clouded in figments of its imagination and not facts.
Nandlall said even the Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security, who are both former PPP Members, have been discriminated against in their own government.
“Ironically, many commentators have, publicly pointed out that Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Minister Khemraj Ramjattan are themselves victims of discrimination within the Coalition Government. It is public knowledge that the Prime Minister has not been given the type of functional responsibilities contemplated by the Cummingsburg Accord. Similarly, a host of important powers and functions were deliberately removed from the Home Affairs Ministry and transferred to the Ministry of the Presidency upon the appointment of Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan”, Nandlall said.
He listed several cases that he believes points to Guyanese who are indian origin are being attacked. He highlighted dismissals within the public service to changes at Guysuco, even adding that street lights were being removed form indian communities while lights are being added to the streets of afro Guyanese communities.
The Government recently unveiled several street lights in the Diamond, East Bank Demerara community, which supported the PPP by majority during the last elections.
In further defending his boss’ statements on race in Guyana, Nandlall said “the truth is, I have written detailed articles, spoken on television, at press conferences and in the National Assembly, highlighting real and live examples and cases where all these atrocities have occurred. So have many other leaders of the PPP. The Opposition Leader himself has spoken on these very issues on numerous occasions. I am therefore flummoxed by the almost hysterical response from the Government. Surprisingly, of the three types of assaults referred to by Cde Jagdeo, only one seemed to have attracted the wrath of the government: “there is an assault on people of Indian origin”. Their silence on and their failure to deny the other two types of assaults can be interpreted as an admission that these two types of assaults are indeed taking place.”
Jagdeo himself has stood by his race baiting statements and has criticised the Prime Minister over the government’s response.
The Government has slammed Jagdeo over the statements and said the incitement of racial fear ought to be rejected by Guyanese.
Mr. Jagdeo who was the longest serving Guyanese President, a year ago, faced private criminal charges after he allegedly made racist statements during a PPP rally in Berbice. He said his statements in New York are no different from similar statements that he made in Guyana.
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