Last Friday, a main thoroughfare, which also serves as the key business district in New Amsterdam, Berbice, was shut down to accommodate President David Granger’s presence at the opening of the Town Week there.
The event was actually held on the said main thoroughfare and, from the pictures and reports, it seemed that all streets leading to it were barricaded to prevent vehicular traffic. The lockdown reportedly lasted some six hours.
The inconvenience that was imposed upon commuters and businesses is unimaginable and cannot be overstated. With business already slow in the town, it may have come to a halt on a day— like Friday when there is an inkling of expectation for commerce.
In addition, vehicular traffic would have been forcibly diverted, thereby causing commuters to be grossly inconvenienced and creating unnecessary congestion in other areas. Pedestrians may have been scrutinised as part of the reported verification process regarding attendance.
The opening of the Town Week is nothing new and many have, in the past, taken place on the street in question. However, what is new is the extension of the area barricaded, the overwhelming presence of Police and patrols by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
While those impositions, by the Executive, are cause for concern, the latter speaks to a most worrying development; soldiers on the street at a time when there is no state of emergency and no announcement of a Joint Services operations, despite the spiralling crime.
The presence of the soldiers evokes painful and frightening memories of the militarised and oppressive state which was birthed under the People’s National Congress’ (PNC) government between 1964 and 1992.
That party, which is now headed by Mr Granger, is, in reality, the Government, despite being couched in a coalition. Under its totalitarian rule, freedom was curtailed, fear was instilled, those who opposed were harassed, brutalised and incarcerated in many instances, and rigging of elections a hallmark.
During the process of the latter, ballot boxes were forcibly removed from some places of poll and reportedly taken to a central location to facilitate a count favourable to the then PNC regime. Those boxes were reportedly removed by the members of the GDF upon instructions from PNC’s operatives.
Related photographs showed persons dressed in fatigues and reported to be soldiers, removing and taking the boxes away from the places of poll. The results of elections held within that period, especially that of 1985, would show numbers far removed from the reality of the will of the Guyanese people. Reportedly, the Police Force was also involved in the process of suppressing freedom by detaining and imprisoning many of who stood up for their rights.
The point is clear from the New Amsterdam incident, if it wasn’t after the protest outside Pegasus on September 19, this year; routine life is disrupted to accommodate the presence of the Leader of the PNC at functions and when he is at home at State House.
The Police and the Army are made to carry out those instructions. It is seemingly done with utter disregard for the normal routines of ordinary Guyanese. In many instances, there is no forewarning. Parts of Main Street in Georgetown seem to be automatically closed off whenever Mr Granger is present a State House.
New Amsterdam was not the only placed that was locked down last Friday. The Eugene Correia International Airport, Ogle, was also shut for a period of time to facilitate Mr Granger’s visit to New Amsterdam. Planes were forced to circle more than once before being cleared to land.
While the President is entitled to a level of security and some privileges, one would expect that it is not a direct and deliberate imposition upon the Guyanese people. After all, he is the Head of State— a position that is expected to take into consideration the concerns of all citizens.
What would have happened if there was an emergency, in the air, medevac or otherwise, with the aircraft being unable to land timely? What would have happened if an aircraft was low on fuel?
Medical and security response teams generally look for the shortest route to render assistance. What happens when those routes are made much longer by the streets being blocked off seemingly at will?
This is where it gets extremely worrying, for it can be seen as dictatorial and reminiscent of the past PNC’s authoritarian rule. This dominance seems to be reflected even in sections of the State media. Stories relating to the President and the APNU arm of the APNU/AFC coalition are glaringly highlighted in green— the colour of the party. Green fonts and borders for photographs are now normal within parts of the State’s information apparatus, funded by taxpayers.
Many Guyanese have already concluded that a dictatorship is now in place once again. The APNU/AFC coalition refusal to respect the Constitution following the December 21, 2018 No-Confidence Motion (NCM), more than likely would have driven that conclusion.
If there was any semblance of doubt following the NCM, the wanton disregard for Guyanese, as demonstrated through the ongoing locking down of streets and towns, and the presence of the army, as seen in New Amsterdam, may have removed all.
