Retired Chief Magistrate mounts another protest

Nov 07, 2008 News

Chief Magistrate (Ret’d) Juliet Holder-Allen at the protest.

Once again, Chief Magistrate (Ret’d) Juliet Holder-Allen staged a protest outside of the Guyana Court of Appeal, this time supported by some 20 persons, some from the public service, protesting over what she had previously called the ‘low class behaviour’ of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

The supporters who joined Holder-Allen in her protest included teachers and workers at various Ministries, all of whom were armed with placards.

According to one of the protesters who works at the Ministry of Health, they were all Government servants, just like Mrs Holder-Allen, and if it were possible for someone as high up as her not to get paid, then it could definitely happen to any of them.

“If people work, then people must be paid,” explained a teacher, who said that he had come out to show support to the retired Chief Magistrate.

Mrs Holder-Allen went inside of the Court of Appeal while her supporters protested outside and met with the Chancellor of the Judiciary, Carl Singh.

When she returned to her supporters, Mrs Holder-Allen said that she was satisfied with the outcome of the discussion.

She added that she received a letter from the Secretary of the JSC, and was asked to return to the JSC next week Friday for a meeting with the Accountant General, who would tally up the number of years she worked and correlate the benefits she would receive.

She said that things appeared to be on stream, but then she said that she would know for sure when she returns next Friday.

The protesters outside of the Court of Appeal.

Mrs Holder-Allen had begun her protest action a few days earlier, after she said that she received a brief note, which came in response to her letter of withdrawal of service. The note contained nothing concerning the state or payment of her monetary benefits.

According to the retired Chief Magistrate, “I need to make it clear that it is the law which states that I must be paid. What Carl Singh has to do is to cause my Record of Service to be made up and that is not forthcoming.

My presence here (outside of the Court of Appeal) is to force the commission to make up this important document so that monetary payments to me by the Finance Ministry could be effected. That is all that I am asking. Just do up my record of service.”

Throughout the protest yesterday, there was police presence outside of the Court of Appeal, but the ranks stationed there said that they had no problems with the protesters who were peaceful.