I want to inform the public this Councillor is on criminal charges

Jul 03, 2017 Letters

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Dear Editor,
This letter is not about politics, it is about exposing the lack of virtues of those who hold public office and still have the audacity to criticize others. While most public figures avoid putting themselves in embarrassing situations, a few are known to thrive on reckless behaviour that contributes to their own self-destruction and fall from grace. Such is the case with the APNU+AFC Region 5 RDC Councillor, Able Seetaram.
While I have been using adjectives like “despicable” and “bad-boy” to describe Abel Seetaram’s general demeanor in my letters, I am doubtful that the AFC Leader, the Hon. Rafael Trotman knows the character of the person who represents the Alliance For Change (AFC) in Region 5. I am equally convinced that Minister Trotman will not condone such behaviour.
Seetaram’s latest scandal is so gross that had he not been arrested, charged, and placed on $15,000 bail, there are some in the APNU+AFC leadership who would have denounced my condemnation of his behaviour as purely political and may chose to ignore it.
On Saturday, June 3, 2017, the APNU+AFC Region 5 RDC Councillor was taken to the Fort Wellington Police Station on charges made against him the night before by his neighbour, Mrs. Meenawati Jainauth for threatening behaviour and indecent exposure.
In a letter that was published on May 30, I wrote that Seetaram was put in charge of the Enhancement Workers at the RDC, who slash (weed) public space and roadsides. I also reported that some of those enhancement workers were seen slashing the yard of his private residence at Number 11 Village/Woodley Park, using government resources for private use.
The night of June 2, Seetaram launched a verbal assault on his neighbour, accusing her of snitching on him. After reading my letter, Seetaram was apparently convinced that his neighbour was the one from whom I had gotten my information and launched a tirade on her.
This is unfortunate for I had never met the lady nor knew who she was until a few days after the incident was brought to my attention by a reliable source.
During an interview, she recounted how terrified she was that night by Seetaram’s vulgar and threatening behaviour. She accused the irate AFC bad-boy of doing unacceptable things in his yard in full view of her underage relative, then, after she complained about it, he became more blatant. She also said he threatened her. What kind of person would disrespect a woman and her 16 year-old daughter by saying unacceptable things is beyond comprehension and must be condemned.
The neighbour said she made a report at the Fort Wellington Police Station shortly after midnight, and Seetaram was brought in to the station the following day for questioning. Whilst there, she said Seetaram became hostile and out of control, and had nothing but disdain and disrespect for the police.
When the case was first called on June 14th at the Fort Wellington Magistrate Court, Seetaram was a no-show. The Magistrate threatened to have a warrant made out for his arrest, and scheduled the next court date for Wednesday, 28th of June. It is not clear whether he was arrested or he just “smelt the rat”, but he showed up for his court hearing to answer charges on two counts of assault and threatening language. He was placed on a $15,000 bail and has to return to court on July 12. Amazingly, Abel Seetaram was never charged with the more serious offense of endangering the welfare of a minor. I wonder who is watching over him.
In his letters to the editor, Abel Seetaram portrays himself as a hard-working, dedicated APNU+AFC RDC Councillor whose sole objective is to faithfully serve the people of Region 5. But in reality, he’s nothing more than a persona non-grata who exploits his position for selfish gains, and is an embarrassment to himself and those who rewarded him for adding to the AFC vote-count at the expense of the PPP/C during two election cycles.
He has now put himself in yet another embarrassing situation that begs the question, why is the Granger Administration tolerating this behavior from an AFC supporter hell bent on giving the government a bad name? Abel Seetaram has a history of complaints lodged against him at the Fort Wellington Police Station dating back a few years now. This is all public knowledge.
A discussion with police officers there would confirm he is a notorious character who is known to disrespect and make false allegations against the police. In fact, Abel Seetaram often brags that the police can’t do him anything because he’s well connected with the Minister of Public Security. To avoid the perception of protecting his socializing buddy, Minister Khemraj Ramjattan must do what the Honorable Prime Minister has already done -cut him loose!
Harry Gill
PPP/C Member of Parliament

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