Rift develops as member defects from civil society group

– ‘Heal Guyana’ founders accused of lack of transparency in war of words

Just days after a release from the group heralded its launch, civil society group ‘Heal Guyana’ is again in the spotlight, but for the wrong reasons. This time, the recent desertion of a prominent social activist from the group has resulted in a war of words.
In a social media post announcing her departure from the group, social activist Akola Thompson had accused the group of shutting down the input of other members like herself. Juxtaposing the fact that the group was marketed as one for

change, she had been critical of certain autocratic tendencies of its leaders.
“I am no longer a part of the Heal Guyana Network… Be wary of people who call for youth inclusion and then stand on their backs. Be wary of people who claim they care about your work but are using you for political mileage.
Be wary of those who speak ‘change’ and ‘healing’ but who abide by the same rigid structures of the very things they say they are against.”
She also urged that the public “be wary of people who ask for your opinions, but then override all suggestions. Be wary of people who pander to everyone. Be wary of people who have no clear set structure or goals. Be wary of people who ask you to trust them when you make clear your concerns.”
She went on to relate that she became concerned about the direction of the group before its launch. According to Thompson, she raised her concerns, and decided to leave when she was told that “we, the members, would have to abide by whatever information the board decides to trickle down to us.”

Usurpation
In a statement of her own, Heal Guyana’s founder, Sharon Lalljee-Richard, related

that after engaging a group of “objective thinkers”, it was decided that they must have access to objective information.
The owner of Tactical Branding-Guyana related that Thompson was engaged from the beginning as a “content contributing member” who would supply articles and not be involved in management.
Lalljee-Richard noted that to ensure accountability, run efficiently, and manage the day-to-day operations, a board was installed.
“A board must be in place, and we regret that we could not accommodate your suggestions to usurp the body and its purpose. We wish you well, and do not plan to respond to your obvious provocations any further,” Lalljee-Richard directed to Thompson in a post.
Accusing Thompson of not knowing her role in the group, Lalljee-Richard noted that the activist’s push to have all decisions be made by herself and a fellow member cannot be accommodated. She also accused Thompson of going public for “likes”.

Secrets
In her expose, Thompson has complained that suggestions from other members of the group are not considered, as the board overseeing the group’s operations would have already made its decisions. She noted that information regarding the specific goals of the group are not disseminated.
“I recall another member also commenting upon the autocratic way issues in the group were dealt with. Didn’t they also leave the group? It is unfortunate that autocratic rule and big egos came into the way of a platform that I was excited to work on.
“You keep stating that I tried to usurp the powers of the board, and that is the furthest from the truth. When I told you that you just can’t filter down completed information to us, your response ran the course of: What do you want me to do, get rid of the board? All I was asking for was a bit more transparency and some inclusion of thoughts of members.”
When the group was launched on December 14, a release from the group had declared that it would provide an inclusive platform for Guyanese to offer positive insights and solutions for racial unity, political impartiality, gender balance, sexual inclusivity, and public accountability, among other urgent national concerns.
The release had also mentioned that the platform would initially be in the form of an online forum that would seek the participation of the youths.
“Our beautiful Guyana has become an ugly place for too many of our people,” Lalljee-Richard had said. “With issues ranging from high levels of migration, suicide and general disenchantment in our nation’s ability to deliver on promises, too many Guyanese are checking out. This has to change if we are to reach our true potential as a collective.”
In addition to Lalljee-Richard, the group’s board of directors is composed of former Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) nominee Lawrence Latchmansingh; Egbert Carter and Alexis Stephens.