Several hours after the bloody assault on Lusignan, which left 11 people dead and four injured (see story and photos on page 16), East Coast residents spanning over six villages erupted into an uncontrollable rage, burning debris and clashing with Cabinet ministers in a prolonged protest that continued throughout the day yesterday.
As thick black smoke billowed from a roadblock at Annandale, where residents stood chanting anti-government slogans and beating their chests in frustration, the sounds of loud wailing flooded the lower East Coast creating a mixed atmosphere of sorrow and wrath. The sight of a man lying face-down on the road, rolling around and bawling hysterically painted the picture of the grief many were feeling.
Spilling onto the East Coast Public Road from Lusignan, where the first of many fiery roadblocks were set up, residents numbering around 500 assembled to speak out against the atrocities carried out yesterday and the vicious cycle of violence that has gripped their villages since the infamous jailbreak nearly six years ago which has escalated within recent years.
The innocence of the children slaughtered was on every tongue and on the minds of many who lashed out at the security forces and the administration saying they were betrayed by those who they looked to for protection. Villagers condemned the deadly attack in the strongest terms and with emotions running high, they vented extensively, consumed alcohol, sang in the streets and chased just about every government minister who turned up seeking to bring calm to the communities.
Chants of “Fire, mo fire” were eventually drowned out by calls for Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee to depart office and for President Bharrat Jagdeo to act immediately or step aside. Residents said the administration has to wake up and realise that people are dying while they are still figuring out what to do.
With disgust as evident as their sorrow, residents moved from village to village burning debris and chanting. By noon, the East Coast Demerara Public Road from Annandale to Mon Repos was blocked; the flow of traffic along the road had halted and five different fires were visible between villages. One man armed with a bell led the army of villagers who were setting up the roadblocks and every time the bell rung, a fire would be lit.
‘Don’t tell us sorry’
It was around 8 am that the first batch of government ministers led by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds scurried up to Lusignan and began pleading with residents to let good judgment prevail. The exchanges that ensued were heated and ugly. Residents openly rejected their presence and their advice.
“Don’t come here with sad faces to tell us that you are sorry and you know how we feel because not a single one of you do,” one resident raged at the ministers. “Every last one of you got guards and drive fancy vehicles and run around pretending to care about we who put you there, but we know now we were being fooled all this time.” The enraged resident swung a piece of wood in his hands as he spoke, and threatened to use it if the ministers did not carefully choose their words.
The heavy presence of the police and the military had no effect on the emotional villagers who continued to lash out at the ministers on failing them and those who had died. After trying in vain to calm villagers, many of the officials retreated and watched in silence as persons wept, spoke of retaliation and displayed their anger.
Roughed up
Shortly afterwards, a fight broke out when someone jumped on a tractor which had been wrestled away from the control of its driver and left abandoned on the roadside at Lusignan. While some wanted to burn it, others wanted to keep it grounded for a while by puncturing the tires. At this point, Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn unwisely intervened and barely missed getting a thrashing. However, Benn was roughed up as persons called on him to leave and to take his fellow ministers with him.
A short distance away, Minister of Local Government Harrinarine Nawbatt and Minister of Amerindian Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues were faced with accusations of incompetence and insensitivity being hurled at them from every direction. Nawbatt was also roughed up by residents who seemed upset that he had showed up when his portfolio had nothing do with the current problem facing them.
As the ministers showed up they were verbally attacked, one after the other. Minister of Human Services Priya Manickchand attempted to appease the crowd by suggesting that they not fight fire with fire, but was asked to leave. She implored the residents to no avail and gave up after the verbal attacks on her became personal. Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Frank Anthony, stayed longer than any of his Cabinet colleagues but retired to a corner at the side of the road when it became evident his advice would not be heeded.
‘Rohee must go’
Rohee, who residents took to task for what had happened to them, finally arrived around 11 am and an outpouring of grief and anger greeted him.
“We want back [former home minister Ronald] Gajraj, or even Roger Khan [the drug accused businessman currently on trial in the US, who had claimed that he used his private resources to help stabilise the country after the 2002 jail break] but Rohee must go. Rohee must go. We want a change, we want a change,” were among the comments that rang out while the minister made his way through the villages observing what was unfolding. Rohee said nothing, just listening as some residents spoke of their fears and their pain.
Questions as to whether the Home Affairs Ministry had been asleep, whether they are too weak to act and whether the government had what it takes to take on the criminals were among those directed to Rohee, who just stood there quietly, only nodding his head at times.
Just after noon, a substantial number of agitated protesters congregated in front of the Beterverwagting Police Station.
The protesters blocked both the highway and the Railway Embankment between Annandale and Beterverwagting, using sand, stones, bits of wood and tyres and in many instances ignited the tyres and wood.
Roadblocks
The large crowd of protesters, who came from Mon Repos and further, lit tyres along the way. Some among them made sure that those fires were kept going with the use of fuel. Flames could have been seen for distances indicating the spots where flaming roadblocks had been placed.
On Agriculture Road, Mon Repos, the protesters blocked both ends – at the East Coast Public Road and at the Railway Embankment.
At the junction of Agriculture Road and the Railway Embankment in Mon Repos, a truck arrived with a load of sand and unloaded it, in full view of policemen who stood by helplessly. When they began removing bits and pieces of debris from the road, the protesters taunted them that they were reduced to labourers.
At one stage at this very corner, two policemen who had arrived in a pickup made an attempt to arrest one of the young men involved in the protest. But after a near confrontation with the angry crowd, they let the man go.
Shortly after, an old minibus filled with old tyres pulled up and the elderly driver came out, opened the side door of his vehicle and started rolling out the tyres to be burned. Police officers again had the unenviable task of packing the tyres in their vehicle.
Drivers and other road users were made to divert or turn back, as not many of them were able to force their vehicles over or around the mounds of sand. One man who sells mutton from his cart was forced to turn back and go home with his stock. Travellers on their way to other villages beyond the blocked parts of the road, including several destined for Berbice, turned around and hastily exited the area.
Around 2.45 pm, policemen had made enough headway in clearing debris at Mon Repos to allow traffic to pass. Motorists inched by the pile of sand that remai
ned almost in the centre of the road. However, they encountered more difficulties as further up, another pile of tires and old vehicle parts had been lit across the road. Some of the drivers managed to manoeuvre around it while others thought it best to turn around again.
At Good Hope, there was a pile of burning tires at the entrance to the housing scheme. Because the bridge is made of wood, the residents lit the fire on a pile of mud. Those drivers who had persevered on, exited their vehicles and removed the burning material as two heavily armed soldiers looked on.
But when they got to Lusignan, they found that the steel on the bridge had been ripped off leaving huge holes and the road impassable. The contingent of protesters here was the largest.
While the President was meeting some residents not far away from this bridge shortly before 4 pm yesterday, others attempted to further destroy it. However, they desisted after the President threatened to end the meeting. He told residents they could protest but should not destroy the infrastructure.
When this newspaper left the area an hour later, the protest was ebbing. The fiery roadblocks were mostly out, though the bridges remained blocked with debris and were manned by groups of angry protesters who instructed drivers to turn around as they were not allowing them to pass.
Soldiers and several police ranks were seen patrolling the area between Mon Repos and Lusignan and were also positioned at strategic points.
(Additional reporting by Johann Earle and Zoisa Fraser)
