Under pressure from opposition political parties to resign, gun-toting Local Government Minister Kellwan Lall yesterday backed down from commenting on his rum-shop brawl with a teenager over a woman.
The former political adviser to President Bharrat Jagdeo had confidently told this newspaper on Sunday to publish his name and then he would speak. However, when contacted yesterday he said he had no comment to make as he was not in a position to speak on the matter. He was also not in a position to say whether he would ever publicly comment on the incident.
Meanwhile, a high-ranking police officer said Lall should be charged with negligent discharge of his firearm and he would have done so had the incident occurred in his jurisdiction.
The brawl
Joseph Doodnauth, the man with whom Lall had the fight told this newspaper in an interview on Sunday that the minister has a steady relationship with his aunt who lives at Montrose. The 19-year-old said he did not live with his aunt; he worked in the hinterland, but whenever he was in Georgetown he would stop over at Montrose. On the night in question, Doodnauth said, the minister had picked up his aunt and they had gone to a barbecue at a bar on the Vryheid’s Lust Public Road. Shortly afterwards, Doodnauth and another relative went to the barbecue. Doodnauth said when he got there he saw his aunt standing with the minister and he called her over. After she had been standing with him for a while, Doodnauth said, Lall approached them and began using expletives. The minister who had a bottle of Carib Beer in his hand then walked away, but subsequently returned and cursed him again, Doodnauth said.
After Lall had done this for a third time, Doodnauth said he became very angry with the minister’s conduct and approached him. “Big man I ain’t like what you deh pon,” he recalled telling the minister. An argument ensued, and the government official then took out his firearm and hit the teenager on the forehead with it. It caused a deep wound, and with blood gushing down his face, Doodnauth said, he left the bar for his aunt’s home. The young man said he was pursued by the minister who drove his vehicle close to him and jammed him. He did not fall, but the minister emerged from his vehicle and fired several gunshots in the air. He also threatened him.
Doodnauth said shortly after the incident he was arrested by the police and taken to Sparendaam Police Station, where the minister also showed up.
Doodnauth said he and the minister had settled the matter, although a deep wound on his forehead stands as a testimony to the assault.
‘Charge him’
Meanwhile, the senior police officer, who asked not to be named, is also calling on his colleagues on the East Coast to do the right thing and prosecute the minister, noting that they would be setting a bad example if Lall were to be allowed to go unpunished. The officer asserted that the police have charged many people without first seeking advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). He said the case involving the minister was “clear cut” and demanded no less action.
The high-ranking police officer told Stabroek News that there was no justification for the minister’s use of his firearm and as such, he was calling on his colleagues on the East Coast Demerara to do the proper thing and charge him.
The officer, who has vast experience in the use of firearms, told this newspaper that civilians should only use their firearms if they were under attack and in serious danger and could not defend themselves by any other means. Licensed firearm holders are also permitted to use their weapons if they encounter someone committing a serious crime and the person does not desist after being warned to do so, the officer said.
Lawyers had argued on Monday that there was nothing wrong with Lall firing shots in the air, as shooting in the air did not indicate any intention to maim or disable anyone. However, the police officer said that this did not apply to civilians, asserting that the only time a civilian should draw his weapon is if he intends to maim or disable someone.
The officer added that the procedure of shooting in the air applies to police officers. If in a situation where there is public disorder, the police can shoot warning shots in the air in an effort to restore peace. “There is absolutely no justification for the minister pulling out his weapon. He wasn’t in danger and clearly the young man was no threat to him,” the police officer said.
Moreover, he said, what further indicts the minister was the fact that he pursued the teenager while he was going away, allegedly jammed him with his vehicle and then proceeded to shoot in the air. On the issue of settlement, the police officer said it was within Doodnauth’s rights to drop the assault charge against the minister. However, as it relates to the firing of the weapon, the state had to decide whether this should be nullified.
Police on the East Coast had indicated to this newspaper that a report was compiled and the file sent to the DPP for advice. However, an official in the DPP’s Chambers said on Monday that they had not received any file. Stabroek News could not make contact yesterday with Acting Commissioner of Police Henry Greene or Commander of ‘C’ Division, Leroy Brummel for clarification on the issue.
The government has so far resisted hauling the minister before a disciplinary committee and this newspaper could not get a comment from PPP officials on whether Lall, who is a central executive member of the party, would be disciplined. Jagdeo is expected back from the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit today.
Blind justice
Meanwhile, the PNCR and the Alliance For Change (AFC) have joined the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) in condemning the minister’s conduct and the AFC has called on Opposition Leader Robert Corbin to confront President Jagdeo on the issue at their scheduled talks on Friday.
The AFC expressed alarm and concern over the issue, noting that not only was the brawl irresponsible, but that the minister’s reckless and inappropriate use of a vehicle and firearm had caused a breach of the peace. “Notwithstanding the reluctance or unwillingness of the victim of the alleged assaults to proceed with a criminal complaint, the Guyana Police Force, as protector of the public safety, has a duty to pursue this matter diligently and to lay charges if the statements submitted by members of the public establish that there was the likely commission of criminal offences,” the party statement said.
According to the AFC, failure or refusal of the authorities to uphold the laws of the country strikes at the very heart of the observance of the rule of law in Guyana. “It is one thing to pursue relentlessly, and prosecute, the poor and helpless for having expired licensing documents for vehicles, or uncustomed liquor and drinks at Stabroek Market, and yet another, to have blatant violations of the law and ethics of the National Assembly violated,” AFC said.
The party asserted that justice cannot be one-sided or blind, noting that it is prepared to support any initiative led by the main opposition party to have the Member of Parliament censured and sanctioned by the Assembly.
The main opposition, PNCR said it “condemns this latest example of the lawless and unseemly behaviour of yet another member of the PPP/C Administration”. The PNCR said in any law abiding jurisdiction, self respect and the rules of public decency would have demanded the voluntary or requested resignation of Lall, but instead, the government’s “spin doctor” has set out to publicly downplay and, by implication, condone the behaviour of the minister.
“This incident is further evidence that the rule of law in Guyana is being disregarded and eroded, especially since, it has been reported that this matter has been settled out of court, presumably as a result of political intervention
