As the PNCR took its protest to the Caricom Secretariat yesterday, Minister of Culture, Dr Frank Anthony, expressed alarm at its leader, Robert Corbin’s recent statements, declaring Corbin’s position “unreasonable”.
“It is surely foolhardy for any responsible national leader to threaten to sabotage an international event in Guyana to which the world is coming, based on certain local issues with both legal, in the case of CNS TV 6 suspension, and global implications, the latter having to do with food prices and the cost of living challenges,” a release from his ministry quoted Dr Anthony as saying.
Yesterday’s activity by the PNCR was announced at a rally following a protest march in the streets of the city on Friday that saw hundreds of persons turning out in support. The march was against the CNS Channel 6 suspension, unemployment, crime, VAT, the high cost of living among other issues and Corbin had declared that if the CNS Channel 6 suspension was not lifted, there would be protests to make the tenth Caribbean Festival of Arts (Carifesta) being held here later this year “unmanageable”. He had said that yesterday, they would have sought the intervention of Caricom Secretary-General Edwin Carrington in the matter.
This was done in the form of a letter, which was conveyed by PNCR Chairman Winston Murray, General Secretary of the party, Oscar Clarke, CNS TV 6 proprietor CN Sharma and Corbin. Speaking with reporters, Corbin said that given the regional grouping’s role in maintaining stability in the wake of the 1997 situation, and in the circumstances, the party was trying to behave “as responsibly as possible” and alert the grouping.
Preceding the handing over of the letter was a picketing exercise in the Caricom Secretariat’s visitors’ car park located in front of its headquarters at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. Shouting slogans and waving placards, some 70 persons marched in a semi-circular formation for over an hour and a half in the blazing sun as they awaited the arrival of Corbin, who came shortly after 3.30 pm.
The letter, according to a release from the PNCR, “outlined in some detail the issues which the party believes could seriously affect the peaceful and orderly development of Guyana and the hosting of Carifesta X.” No further details were given and Corbin said in due time the contents would be made available to the media. He said that a copy of the letter was dispatched to President Bharrat Jadgeo.
Corbin said that given its concerns, the party thought it important to write to current Caricom Chairman, Hubert Ingraham of the Bahamas and copy the letter to Carrington, to alert them to the “developing situation in Guyana which has serious implications for stability”. He declared that at a time when the constitution was being “blatantly abused” by the President with “scant regard for the rule of law” among other issues, “I do not think that stability can be maintained”.
The opposition leader declared that he was alerting the Caricom head to have a closer look at the matters put in the letter and hopefully have them considered by the Heads of Government. He said that basically a brief and background on issues were set-out and the party was prepared and available to provide any further information required.
Noting that Carifesta was a significant cultural event in the Caribbean, the opposition leader asked “how can we have an environment of that celebration when in fact it is being used as a political smokescreen in Guyana to cloud abuses by the President of so many constitutional provisions?” He urged the regional grouping to think carefully as to whether the conditions were conducive in these events and exert influence to create the right environment.
Meanwhile, Dr Anthony, noting Corbin’s statements Friday’s rally regarding the possible impact the continued suspension of CNS TV 6 would have on Carifesta, said he viewed this as irresponsible and “potentially disruptive to national life”. He said while protest action was the full expression of the Guyanese right to free speech and democratic behaviour “to threaten an international event full of socio-economic and cultural benefits for the nation is a virtual abuse of the freedoms guaranteed by this government”.
He declared that any “programmed disruption” of Carifesta would affect many Caricom member states which had already pledged and, in some cases, registered their participation in the regional arts festival. The release said the ministry deemed Corbin’s threats as more political that anything to do with press freedom and expressed the hope that good sense would prevail in the interest of the nation.
Meantime, the PNCR release said that the party “is actively putting measures in place to continue demonstrating its concern about such critical issues as the cost of living, the breaches of the Constitution, the torturing of our citizens, among other matters, by holding more picketing exercises and rallies and meetings in different parts of the country.” It said that the next picket exercise would be in front of the Office of the President tomorrow.
