Former PNCR General Secretary slams WPA “inflammatory statements”

– calls for maturity, responsibility when making public statements

The backlash against Working People’s Alliance (WPA) member Tacuma Ogunseye, who made inflammatory comments during a recent meeting at Buxton line top, continues to grow with former People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) General Secretary Geeta Chandan-Edmonds calling for maturity and responsibility when making public statements.
In a statement, Chandan-Edmonds reminded of the importance of leaders demonstrating, in both words and deeds, their desire for national development. She expressed “great concern” at the comments made during the WPA meeting on Thursday, during which a number of speakers including PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton himself took the stage.
“Leaders must demonstrate, in deed and words, a desire for national development in its truest form. 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. I wish to publicly disassociate myself from the inflammatory statements and call for responsible actions and commentaries, from politicians, civil society and activists alike,” Chandan-Edmonds further said.
According to the Member of Parliament, there must be a stronger national effort to build a unified nation. She also called for national development to be placed in a context where “all Guyanese must be assured of equitable treatment and worthy participation in the developmental process.”
During the public meeting, Ogunseye made a reference to the use of guns in the hands of the Disciplined Services. President Dr Irfaan Ali, who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, had described the comments as inflammatory in a video broadcast on Saturday.
“Your President will stand up every single day for what is right. Will stand up every single day in support of democracy. In support of unity. In support of development. Because all the guns he’s talking about, let him turn them to me,” President Ali had said.
“Because no gun or bullet will stop us on this path of unifying our people. On this path of developing our country. On this path of uplifting the lives of our people. This is clear hate, terrorism and racism, that come off of that stage. All of Guyana should be upset. Imagine the Joint Services had to issue a statement!”
Chandan-Edmonds joins not only President Ali and members of civil society in condemning the comments made during the meeting, but also other members of her party. People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) parliamentarians Ganesh Mahipaul and Natasha Singh-Lewis, Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine and Region Four Chairman Daniel Seeram, had released a statement of their own following the meeting.
The four PNCR members, who are of Indo-Guyanese descent, took issue with another part of the meeting in which a speaker denigrated the origins of Indo-Guyanese and distanced themselves from the remarks made.
“We must take a firm hand with our lands. When we came here from Africa, who knows Africa knows the land mass that we were accustom to. So, these other people who come here, who suddenly getting land, many of them came from the slums of India.”
“And if you look at the amount of persons in India, (over one) billion for that little land mass, you would understand what is going on in India. They lived in pipes, they lived in all the deplorable places,” a speaker who was identified as ‘Sister Rhonda’ said during the meeting.
In their statement, the four PNCR officials had condemned these comments made on stage. They also expressed disappointment that these comments were not challenged by any subsequent speaker. These subsequent speakers included Opposition Leader Norton. (G3)