The PNCR-led protests against the rising cost of living moved to New Garden Street in front of the Office of the President yesterday, where for more than an hour a number of persons chanted slogans and waved placards under the watchful eyes of police.
Under the searing midday sun, the group traipsed after PNCR leader Robert Corbin shouting slogans such as ‘Forget CARIFESTA, deal with hunger”, “5% can’t work”, “in the wrong mood, can’t buy food”, among others. They carried placards bearing phrases such as ‘I have an empty rice pot’, ‘VAT and PAYE killing the workers’, ‘Punishing people with poverty’, ‘Reduce the VAT, that is likely to impact’, among a number of others. Corbin walked with a sign that read ‘A hungry man is an angry man’.
As the group moved on the portion of New Garden Street between South Road and Regent Street, where barriers were set up, a police officer approached Corbin and told him that moving in a procession was illegal. Corbin replied that they were engaging in a peaceful protest, noting the band on his arm and said that they were not moving in a procession.
After about an hour, the group walked up Regent Street to Vlissengen Road and headed to the Square of the Revolution. Some then went to the Ministry of Human Services, where a similar exercise was held.
Yesterday’s march was the second to protest against the rising cost of living. Previously, there were more marches on other issues. At Thursday’s march, Corbin had vowed that the protest marches will continue. The march on that day had seen protesters overrunning police barriers and burning mock coffins and an effigy of President Bharrat Jagdeo in front of Parliament Buildings. Corbin, at a rally following that march, had stated that President Jagdeo had failed to implement proper measures to deal with the cost of living. “We will not stop unless we have some results from Jagdeo”, he had declared.
