Protestors call for removal of Jagdeo as new Opposition leader

Jul 15, 2015 News

---

…Ramsaran, Nandlall as MPs

The immediate environs of Freedom House was the scene of objection and disapproval yesterday as protestors called for the removal of former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, as the new Opposition Leader.
The demonstrations outside the main opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)’s Robb Street, Georgetown headquarters attracted participants from various civil society organisations.
While those protesting were adamant that Jagdeo should be removed as Opposition Leader, they also called for the removal of former Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran and former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.
Dr. Ramsaran was previously criticised, and subsequently removed from his Ministerial position, for abusive language directed toward political activist, Sherlina Nageer, whereby, after a heated exchange, he was recorded as saying he would have his “women strip her naked”.
Meanwhile, Nandlall had faced public scrutiny for threatening language directed at the Kaieteur News, which also included him referring to one of the company’s female reporters as a “li’l thing’.
These incidents, in addition to the “divisive” language used by Jagdeo during the May 11 Regional and General Elections campaign, were cited as the reasons for the protestors demanding the PPP/C remove the individuals from their list of MPs.
Jagdeo’s language since resulted in the former President being sanctioned by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s Media Monitoring Unit (MMU). Jagdeo has since been taken to court by Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram.
The protest action attracted the likes of political columnist Frederick Kissoon as well as Karen De Souza of the Red Thread Women’s Group.

In speaking to members of the media, Kissoon posited that the role of institutions such as the Presidency and Prime Ministership are responsible for the running of the country, regardless of race, culture and demographics.
According to Kissoon, the purpose of the Opposition Leader is to ensure that the President and Prime Minister are adhering to their duties of “distributing justice and enacting policies across demographic sectors, culture, age and ethnicity”.
Kissoon opined that the appointment of former President Jagdeo undermines these duties and contradicts the position of Opposition Leader given the divisive language he has used during the 2015 campaign.
The columnist said that during the campaign, Jagdeo used inflammatory language, and that since then the statements have been condemned by various Non-Governmental Organisations and Human Rights groups in addition to GECOM’s MMU.
“This man (Jagdeo) has no moral authority to speak for the nation as an Opposition Leader. He will be funded by the tax payers, he will have an office that is funded from the Treasury and he will be performing on a narrow ethnic task… that is unacceptable in a modern world,” said Kissoon.
Meanwhile, De Souza reiterated that yesterday’s protest action was not only directed at the former President, but at the previous actions of Dr. Ramsaran and Nandlall, with respect to women. De Souza said that the appointment of the three men in particular, demonstrates a lack of respect for one of the country’s highest institutions.
“These are persons who have demonstrated that they lack the qualities we expect from our leaders in the House. Ramsaran and Nandlall have demonstrated that, notwithstanding the laws of the country and the commitment of the party, they are abusers of women,” said De Souza.
The Red Thread representative said that it is necessary to have an institution like Parliament function properly. She added that she cannot understand how the PPP/C, which says it “means well” for the country, can put “abusers of women” into the Parliament.
In responding to yesterday’s demonstrations, the PPP/C released a statement defending its position in appointing the former President as Opposition Leader. The statement indicated that Jagdeo’s re-entry into active politics and the National Assembly has received “overwhelming support” from local and international Guyanese.
It went on to label the latest demonstrations against the appointment as “laughable” and called into question the current administration’s dismissal of approximately 2000 public servants.
“It seems that these perennial activists are so out-of-touch with reality that they are oblivious to the plight of hundreds of public servants who have been summarily dismissed, and continue to be dismissed from their jobs, because they are perceived as PPP supporters,” the PPP/C’s statement concluded.

---

---