WPA’s Ogunseye surrenders after Police Wanted Bulletin

– will remain in custody for 72 hours

Working People’s Alliance (WPA) executive member Tacuma Ogunseye surrendered on Friday at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Georgetown.

The Police on Thursday had issued a wanted bulletin for his arrest. That bulletin had stated that the 71-year-old man was wanted for several serious offences, including attempting to excite racial hostility or ill-will.
Accompanied by his lawyers Nigel Hughes and Darren Wade, Ogunseye walked into the CID compound just after 10:00h. The senior WPA executive did not have much support, except for a few members of his party. About half an hour later, he was shackled by Police ranks and escorted to the Police Force ‘A’ Divisional Headquarters, located at the Brickdam Police Station.
Speaking with reporters, Hughes disclosed that he advised his client to invoke his constitutional right to remain silent, and noted that offences contrary to the Racial Hostility Act are bailable. He said it did not appear that Ogunseye would remain in custody for 72 hours before charges are brought against him.
Meanwhile, the suspect told reporters that his party is defending the dignity of Guyana and the legacy of Walter Rodney, and regardless of what is thrown at them, they will fight back.
He also accused the Government of disrespecting the assassinated WPA Co-Leader Dr Walter Rodney, who was assassinated on June 13, 1980, by setting Local Government Election for June 12.
“They also eyes passed Walter Rodney. They chose the 12th to hold their fraudulent Local Government Elections and to celebrate their victory on June 13, which for us in the WPA is an abomination,” he declared.
He added that this struggle is one for the African dignity and the dignity of working people of all races, while defending his statement made at the Buxton roadside meeting.
On March 9, Ogunseye made several damning remarks on the Buxton Public Road, East Coast Demerara, while he was addressing a public meeting held by his party. Among other racial and divisive remarks he made at the meeting, the WPA member declared that “the first objective is to get the African team in a state of battle readiness… the Afro-Guyanese Police and soldiers… would stand with Afro-Guyanese in resisting mainly Indo-Guyanese supporting the PPP/C.”
On Wednesday, Ogunseye had proclaimed that should he be charged with exciting racial hostility, he would “plead guilty with explanation”. Although the wanted bulletin stated that he was wanted for several serious offences, it did not detail the nature of those offences.
The statements made at the political party meeting have faced widespread condemnation from a wide cross-section of civil society and Government, including some Opposition members, such as Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Ganesh Mahipaul, Daniel Seeram, and Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine; as well as Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and other members of the PPP/C.
Although Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton had questioned Ogunseye’s choice of words, he had also defended the politician’s right to free speech.
During a virtual press conference earlier this week, Ogunseye, with the support of the WPA members, said there is “nothing to apologise for or retreat from”, while noting that he is ready to defend any charges brought against him by the Police.
“We are prepared to use civil disobedience as an effective political weapon… When we look at the lineup of charges they have been uttering, treason seems to be the most severe of the threats,” Ogunseye said.
“WPA will publicly resolve that once they come with treason charges, we will not treat it as a legal matter. We will see it as a political matter, and I would go to court and plead guilty with explanation. That is our attitude to the charges,” he said.
“We’re at the street corner, and our understanding of the Guyana street corner politics is: when you go to the street corner, you got to roll up your sleeves. Our language was appropriate for the street corner,” Ogunseye further said. He is adamant that his words were appropriate in the context of “street corner” politics.
Meanwhile, at a recent press conference, Dr Jagdeo called on the Police Force to take action once it determines the law was breached. While he pointed out that the Police often get intimidated in cases that involve political players, he maintained that the Police have to act impartially.
“If they (politicians) breached the law, then the Police have to act swiftly on these matters that can cause a rift among our people. We have to fight racism with every bit of tool that we have in this country. That’s the only way this country can have a sustainable future,” he declared.
“We have to fight racism. We’ve equipped the Police with the tools: they have the Racial Hostility Act; they have a whole range of tools at their disposal. They have to move swiftly, and not be intimidated, and have to prove that they’re acting impartially or partially,” Jagdeo posited.
He went on to say that some politicians deliberately accuse the Police of being partisan so that the Force becomes cautious and would tiptoe around taking condign action against them. This way, he noted, these individuals are allowed to perpetuate their illegalities.