Enmore NDC denies “plot to sell” computers

Vice Chairman of the Enmore Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) has rejected contentions that “a plot was discovered to sell” the computer systems that were seized by the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) on Thursday afternoon.

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition had revealed in a statement on Thursday that a group of SARU official went to the NDC and took away 15 complete desktop computers and eight backup power-packs, without the permission of the NDC or the community resource centre.

However, when contacted later that evening, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SARU, Major (Rtd) Aubrey Heath-Retemyer explained to Guyana Times his agency had merely gone to render assistance to the E-governance Department, which was going to retrieve the computer systems after it was informed by SARU that the NDC wanted to “get rid” of them.

“We got information that these computers were there and that they were not in use and that some people on the NDC were about to get rid of them; whatever get rid of means – selling them or giving them away – I don’t know,” he stated.

Retemyer went on to say that, “We simply alerted E-governance who asked for us to accompany them so some people went from my unit with E-governance, collect the computers and give them to E-governance, who has them.”

According to the SARU Head, the systems were taken by E-governance so that in the future the people of Enmore can access them.

However, Vice Chairman of the Enmore NDC, Iqbal Dawud, in a statement on Friday said, “There was no such plot and nothing clandestine or unlawful was intended.”He went on to explain that the computers, which are the property of the NDC, are outdated and most of them were malfunctioning; as such, a decision was taken by the Council to have the computers sold, if possible, and replaced with a new compliment so that the community can continue to benefit from their use.”This decision was made at a public statutory meeting of the NDC and recorded in the Minutes. Therefore, there was nothing sinister, secretive or illegal about it as has been suggested by the Government,” Dawud pointed out. The Vice Chairman further posited that the Enmore NDC is an autonomous, legally elected body that is independent of the Government and is legally authorised to make its own decision.

“SARU and the Government have no authority to interfere with decisions of the NDC. Therefore, we reject the Government’s attempt at justifying SARU’s illegal actions of trespass and unlawful deprivation of the property of the NDC,” he added. Dawud continued that the NDC maintains that officers of SARU and the Ministry of the Presidency “acted unlawfully, excessively and abused their authority” when they unlawfully entered upon the NDC’s premises and seized the NDC’s property. He further added that this is nothing short of “executive lawlessness.”The PPP on Thursday said it has advised the Enmore NDC to launch civil proceedings against the State claiming monetary compensation for trespass, constitutional violations and deprivation of private property. The Opposition also called upon the Police Commissioner to immediately launch a full investigation into this matter. The Party wants the Police “…to institute criminal charges forthwith against those who were engaged in this clandestine, unconstitutional, authoritarian and criminal enterprise.”