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Robeson Benn should resign for his facile excuse – Christopher Ram

Nov 17, 2010 News

The President should call for the resignation of Public Works’ Minister, Robeson Benn, over his excuse on the Freddie Kissoon trench-clearing exercise last week.
This is the opinion of columnist/attorney-at-law, Christopher Ram.
Last week Wednesday, workers preparing for the upcoming UNASUR meeting in which several Latin Heads of Government are scheduled to come to Guyana, cleaned a trench running aback of Kissoon’s home at Turkeyen, but skipped the section outside his premises.
After the photo was published in the Thursday edition of Kaieteur News, workers were seen early the following morning cleaning the duckweed that they had left behind
There has been an outpouring of criticism over the issue
“Not only is this an affront on Freddie Kissoon but also to the entire country,” Ram noted.
“And they compounded it with a facile excuse that suggested that they think Guyanese are a pack of fools.”
Ram has joined a number of other prominent citizens and officials who have condemned the incident.
While government has denied that workers were ordered to skip the section of trench outside Kissoon’s home, opposition parties have also lashed out about the action, calling it deliberate.
“Jagdeo should call on Robeson Benn to apologise to Freddie Kissoon and the country for the inanity of that excuse.”
Asked to explain the odd development, Benn on Wednesday evening, last, had said that there were two teams clearing the canal and they were working from the two extremities. He said that when they called it a day they had reached the section of the canal outside Kissoon’s home.
Minister Benn had said that anyone who concluded that Kissoon was being targeted is promoting a conspiracy theory.
The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) had also condemned the incident.
According to Opposition Leader Robert Corbin, the constitution clearly gives the citizens the right to criticise.
“The government must be condemned for the act and there must be a great resolve by the people to get rid of this dictatorship,” he said.
The official also made reference to past attacks on others who exercised their rights to criticise, including prominent citizens like businessman, Yesu Persaud, and the Correias.
Corbin’s criticisms mirrored those of a number of Opposition officials who also slammed the incident.
Government has largely kept quiet with many officials saying that they did not read the subject newspaper or disagreed totally that it was a deliberate act.
Leader of the Alliance For Change, Raphael Trotman, called for the removal of the PPP/C administration also for the incident.
According to Trotman, it was clear that the act was a deliberate one to stifle press freedom.
But Minister of Housing, Irfaan Ali, insists the charge is ridiculous.
“It is ridiculous to assume that the incident was done on purpose. The day had come to an end…Workers would not purposely take care of every gap and leave one out, which happened to be Mr. Kissoon’s.  It was cleaned (on Thursday).”
Many contend that Kissoon’s unrelenting criticism of the administration led to the ‘vindictive’ response.
On Thursday last, PPP/C General Secretary, Donald Ramotar, said that he had spoken to the foreman of the clearing exercise on the report that was carried in this newspaper and the official denied that he even knew that Kissoon lived there.
“I think that it is nonsense to say that Freddie Kissoon’s home was bypassed.”
The Parliamentarian said there were no instructions to skip the area in front of Kissoon’s home.
The outspoken columnist last week described it as a clear act of discrimination.
According to Kissoon, workers told him that they had been contracted to clean the canal, located immediately south of the embankment. They also said that they were ordered not to clear the trench in front of Kissoon’s home.
It was only a few months ago that Kissoon was attacked during a visit to a supermarket on Robb Street.

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