Regional 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon yesterday dismissed President Donald Ramotar’s unannounced visit to Linden as a public relations stunt, saying that he hoped it would not provoke a situation that could derail negotiations to end unrest in the town.
Solomon was not informed in advance of the visit but said that he took no personal offence at the slight. “The nation and the people of Linden have seen it for what it is. For me it is a photo opportunity because it is not structured so that you have any meaningful outcome after the visit only to say that the president visited Linden,” he told a press conference aired live from the HBTV Channel Nine studio on Mandela Avenue.
Solomon was accompanied by APNU MP Vanessa Kissoon and PNCR chairman Basil Williams, who also spoke out against the manner of the president’s visit and were critical of the way residents were still being targeted by members of the Joint Services, who are now encamped in sections of the town.
At the time, President Donald Ramotar was still in Linden and according to Solomon, the town was still tense. “…We find it difficult in understanding the government’s continued efforts at undermining the entire process even when they have given the commitment to working towards creating an atmosphere of normalcy,” he said.
He remained in Georgetown overnight on Wednesday since the talks were scheduled to continue yesterday afternoon to look at economic proposals for the town. “Up until yesterday, we were not aware that the president was going to be visiting Linden. We left those negotiations without any understanding of a visit,” he said. “What we would have done before if he had wanted to go to Linden was to sense the vibes on the ground and to say whether it was conducive for him to go to Linden based on what was happening,” he added.
Almost three weeks ago, a visit by Ramotar was scrapped after the Joint Services failed to clear roads blocked in the town as part of sustained protests that began on July 18. Ramotar had said that he would visit once the roadways were cleared.
Solomon said that he would not have been so “pompous enough” to tell the president where he can or cannot go, but added that since the situation in the mining town was tense, he would have advised him accordingly.
He said that based on the reports coming out of Linden yesterday, councillors of the RDC were prevented from attending the meeting by army personnel, who surrounded the Watooka Guesthouse, where the president was in meetings. Residents, he noted, were also barred from attending the meeting.
Solomon also lashed out at the Joint Services’ treatment of residents. “It is the most inhumane, the most intense violation of the constitutional rights of the people,” he said, while adding that he spoke with young men and women who were being harassed for no reason and some of whom were arrested.
Meanwhile, both Kissoon and Williams, who similarly expressed concern about the conduct of the Joint Services, were also critical of the deliberate lapse in protocol as a result of the failure to inform the region of the visit.
Kissoon said that it was very disturbing to know that the president and his team would visit Linden without telling regional officials. “In fact, they went in like a thief in the night… You are supposed to, at least, let the regional chairman and the representatives know that,” she emphasised, while saying that she was tired of the “disrespectful behaviour of this government.”
Williams, a lawyer and also an APNU MP, said that it was always his party’s position that the president needed to visit Linden. “We were contemplating that the president would have had a structured visit; one that is coordinated by the region. So, I am surprised to know they are there and the regional chairman and regional MP are in Georgetown,” he said, while noting that his party will continue support the Lindeners since “their cause is just.”
Williams further suggested that the whole aim of Ramotar’s visit was to give an appearance of normalcy. “They are trying to tell their people that they are in control of the situation and that things are returning to normalcy,” he said.
