Government MPs had the House to themselves yesterday to speak on the Lusignan massacre after a PNCR-1G boycott and a sharp exchange between the Speaker and the Minister of Home Affairs captured the spotlight.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran upbraided Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee during the discussion of the Lusignan massacre, telling the minister that he had strayed from the topic. The Speaker ruled that the discussion should centre on the events at Lusignan. This reprimand prompted a sharp response from the minister who promised to have his views heard outside of parliament, not withstanding Ramkarran’s ruling. The Speaker then ordered a five-minute adjournment during which time he summoned Leader of the House, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds to his chambers.
The Speaker’s upbraiding of Rohee had come moments after the tea break and a boycott by the PNCR-1G after Opposition Leader Robert Corbin’s motion was disallowed (see other story on page 10). Rohee had then proceeded to present a long list of crime statistics dating back to 2003 while making comparisons as to where the security forces were now in relation to five years ago.
“What those statistics have to do with Lusignan?” Ramkarran asked Rohee. “How relevant is how many murders we had last year to what occurred at Lusignan,” Ramkarran continued, telling Rohee what he was saying was not relevant to the topic. “The security situation last year is not relevant to Lusignan,” Ramkarran persisted, forcing Rohee who was standing at the time to take his seat. The Speaker then ruled that all discussions must centre on the events at Lusignan. Rohee then concluded his presentation, repeating much of what he had been saying over the past several weeks before, telling the House that he respected the ruling of the Speaker and would abide by it because he was in charge in the National Assembly. He said however that he reserved the right to make his views heard outside of Parliament and would deal with the Speaker’s ruling at that forum.
Ramkarran then rebutted, “Are you trying to intimidate me? Despite my injunction you continue to rant and rave; now you are telling me you would deal with me outside of Parliament.” The Speaker then asked for a five-minute adjournment at which time he summoned PM Hinds to his chambers. After the adjournment, the PM was seen in discussion with Rohee.
Before being rebuked, Rohee told the House that the boycott by the opposition did not only smack of disrespect to the memory of the Lusignan victims, but also lacked the statesman-like approach which was needed in the situation. According to Rohee, the Bharrat Jagdeo administration felt the Lusignan incident should be discussed as a matter of urgent public importance because the entire nation was aggrieved and still hurt over the slaying of the 11 people.
Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford, who spoke after Rohee, condemned the slaying of the Lusignan 11 as well as the murder of army corporal, Ivor Williams at Buxton. Westford said that Williams was performing his duty of protection of the citizens when his life was snuffed out by bandits in the vicinity of the Railway Embankment and Company Road Buxton. She said that in the aftermath of the shooting, none of the residents saw anything. “Some of them residing in close proximity to the gauntlet area even had the audacity to say that they didn’t hear anything because their radios or TVs were playing loudly.”
Safe havens
According to Westford it was not the first time that members of the disciplined forces had come under fire in Buxton from bandits who were safely ensconced in buildings that are known to be legitimate dwelling houses on business places. “It is therefore obvious, and even a severely mentally retarded person can deduce that specified areas in Buxton are safe havens for the bandits,” Westford said. Turning her attention to the massacre at Lusignan, Westford said that the nation heard the outpouring of condemnation and sympathies. She however said that the leaders of the opposition parties have described the incident as merely brutal and horrific. “Was this merely a brutal or horrific attack on the 11 victims by bandits?’ Westford asked. She said it was a massacre, a word she said the opposition had been refusing to use when talking about the issue.
Labour Minister and Leader of The United Force, Manzoor Nadir told the House that the majority of Guyanese did not want the massacre at Lusignan escalating into other forms of divisive acts. Nadir said that the boycott of parliament by the PNCR-1G was showing the outside world and the criminals themselves that the elected representatives of Guyana were divided on the Lusignan attack. “The security of our people is of grave national concern and if our policing and crime fighting is going to be effective it will need the support of the community,” Nadir declared.
Transport Minister Robeson Benn said that it was time the politicians draw a line in the sand and those who stood against violence against children stand on one side and those for it stand on the other side. He said the administration was concerned about every citizen including the alleged girlfriend and child of Rondell Rawlins whom he said seemed to be the mastermind of the Lusignan attack. Following Benn, MP and PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar and MP and presidential advisor on governance, Gail Teixeira made brief presentations before the discussion concluded.
Leader of the Alliance For Change, Raphael Trotman told reporters that his party was surprised that Corbin’s motion was not allowed given earlier undertakings by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Roger Luncheon that the motion would be debated. Trotman said that in light of the government’s intransigence and its lack of ideas on how to deal with the deteriorating crime situation it would have been more than useful for the motion to be debated and some concrete resolutions made at the end. He said what the government was interested in was in a “show”.
Trotman said however that the AFC and the Guyana Action Party were ready to meet with the government to discuss the security situation but they could not force the administration to do so. “We will continue to reach out
