Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
Region Ten Chairman admits he thwarted cops who tried to stop dance
“This thing was blown way out of proportion!” – Councillor Charles Sampson
Regional Councillor Charles Sampson commenting on an incident that occurred at the Bayroc Community Centre ground involving Regional Chairman Rennis Morian, and which was carried in this newspaper said that the entire episode
Regional Chairman Rennis Morian
was blown way out of proportion.
The incident occurred at the community centre where Lindeners had gathered to celebrate Guyana’s Independence anniversary on May 26.
According to reports a police rank had attempted to stop the revelry about 5am, but a call was made to the Regional Chairman who promptly responded and restored the session.
There was also footage taken on the morning of May 26 that revealed that Morian had indeed intervened in a police matter.
According to the article published in the June 13 edition of Kaieteur News, the music was shut off by police after their station had received numerous complaints from residents. But after the ranks arrived, the promoter reportedly called Morian who came out of his house some time around 05:00am to stop the ranks from doing their job.
Councillor Sampson in an exclusive interview said that if the police had kept their end of the bargain, where they had granted permission for the celebrations to continue up to six o’clock on the morning of May 26, there would have been no need for an intervention by the Regional Chairman.
Sampson said that once there are national activities, the commemoration committee of the Region develops a calendar of events.
“These (events) are funded by the Region; the committee has a budget, and we sit down and plan for them. In all our planning, the police and other stake holders are involved.
“We know that the police don’t have enough ranks, to do a lot of things, so they should pay these ranks that have to work excessive hours -and pay them properly.
“As far as we know the police are there to maintain law and order, and their presence at events serves as a deterrent to bad behaviour, especially from some of our youths.”
“That particular event on that night was scheduled to go until 6,’o clock Independence morning. It was a special and national event, which doesn’t happen every week or every month. So I don’t know how after we would have gotten the green light from the police for this event to go until six on Independence day, police ranks went to the venue and demanded that the session be stopped before five. There had to have been some kind of miscommunication between the lower and higher ranks, because that should not have happened given our prior understanding.”
Sampson said that after the music was stopped, and then subsequently resumed after the Chairman’s intervention, “there was loud applause as people were becoming fed up with the way the police have been stopping events, especially the national events because there has been some degree of inconsistency. I don’t want to accuse the police of anything because they have their job to do– but they have to be consistent.
“I don’t see anything wrong in what the Chairman did, because somebody had to do something– had to take the bull by the horns, because for years people been complaining about this issue of the police stopping events which many times don’t warrant such action.
“I’m happy that the Chairman intervened, because whenever there is a national event there are usually waivers, and this is good because we have a lot of people coming in from overseas just to be part of these celebrations.
“These people accustomed to celebrating till the wee hours, so the Chairman did the right thing, if you consider that permission was given for the event to go until six.”
Anthony Roberts who said that he was in total support of what the Chairman did, pointed out, “I think something like this should have happened a long time ago.
Morian, commenting on the issue, said that it is “at an end” and that his focus presently is on helping with job creation by attracting investors to the Region, and the maintenance of a stable climate.
He said that he had gone out on the morning of May 26, because it was a slap in the face of the people for the police to go to the venue with big guns, after an agreement had been made with them that the event would go until six am.
He added that the event was blown totally out of proportion.
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