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Fight for Town Clerk chair, bomb scare end City Hall meeting
It started with a fight for the Town Clerk’s chair, then a tug of war for the microphone. It ended with members of the police bomb squad searching for explosives at City Hall when the body called to order its weekly statutory meeting yesterday.
Mr. Royston King, who was last week sworn in to act as Town Clerk by the Mayor and Councilors, had taken his seat long before the proceedings commenced. Ms Carol Sooba, appointed over a year now by the Local Government Minister, entered the Council chamber to find King seated where she usually sat and demanded that he remove.
Security ranks clear the City Hall’s compound following the bomb scare.
King however refused, and a chair was subsequently placed in front of his seat for Sooba. Later, the Deputy Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green picked up the chambers microphone to make an announcement, but both she and Sooba ended up in a tug of war. While Chase-Green held on to the microphone, Sooba held on to the cord. In an interview, both women claimed that they were assaulted by the other.
Chase-Green said she was going to make an announcement when Sooba attempted to snatch the microphone. Sooba said she was going to use the microphone, but it was snatched out of her hand by the Deputy Mayor and she (Sooba) ended up with the cord.
At this point, neither the Mayor nor the mace was in the chambers, since persons were now settling in for the meeting. Sooba however announced that there would be no meeting and later ordered the Council’s officers out of the chambers. The PPP councilors also left.
The Mayor and majority of Councilors however went ahead with their meeting, discussing the affairs of the Council and the decisions that were taken in the last extraordinary meeting, which saw King’s appointment. About half an hour into the Council’s meeting, the announcement came that there was a bomb in the building.
Except for the Council chambers where the meeting was taken place, all persons exited. The business sections of the establishment came to a close. The Mayor and Councilors however refused to exit the building. They declared, “We are prepared to be martyrs for the cause.”
Another half hour later, members of the Guyana Fire Service and members of the police force entered the compound. Fire service workers later ordered the Mayor that the Councilors to exit the building. This was subsequently done, but majority of the Councilors were satisfied that they had gotten some work done.
One matter on the agenda saw Councilor Eon Andrews becoming the new Finance chairman, replacing ousted Councilor, Junior Garrett.
Present during yesterday’s fiasco was information liaison to the President Kwame McCoy who slammed the Mayor and Councilors for what was taking place. He told Kaieteur News that the Council is acting illegally and that they are playing a game of bullyism.
He charged that the Mayor was using intimidation tactics to get his way. When asked about government’s call to remove the Mayor and Councilors he said that citizens could petition to have them removed and replace them with an Interim Management Committee (IMC). When pressed, McCoy said to reporters that local government election has nothing to do with what is happening. “The PPP is ready at anytime for local government elections,” he declared.
Both Town Clerks, King (green inner shirt) and Sooba (pink suit in background), gave directions during the search for the bomb.
Sooba told Kaieteur News that she was bullied and called the names of several councilors who she said abused her. She said she adjourned the meeting because it was illegal since King was occupying her chair and, “I am the legal Town Clerk.”
The Deputy Mayor charged however that a “bomb scare is an old political tactic,” but the Councilors will not be intimidated, even as the members have been noticing “strange movements by Kwame McCoy” and persons in his company who she claimed have been taking out photos of Councilors.
However, as the drama unfolded, more persons began to converge at City Hall with the majority of persons booing and shouting at Sooba for her removal. Those supporting the government’s Town Clerk stood with her at the northern end of the compound, while those for King stood to the southern end. Sooba’s supporters condemned the actions of the Mayor and Councilors and claimed bullyism on their part.
Both purported Town Clerks were later seen giving directions as bomb squad ranks engaged the City secretaries on which areas should be searched. No bomb was located.
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