Over seventy Guyanese participated in the launch of the People’s Parliament in the park next to Parliament Building, in the midst of the Linden crisis, some three weeks after the police shooting of unarmed protesters, a press release said this week.
As the sun set a few women gathered in the park at High Street, between Brickdam and Hadfield Streets, and two tents and several banners were set up. During the evening and night, more and more people gathered- lawyers, writers, teachers, artists, activists, and random passers-by curious about what was going on.
By the end of the night over seventy Guyanese had participated in the launch of the People’s Parliament which aims to “engage Guyanese of all backgrounds in a collective public interrogation of theGuyanese condition and dialogue in order to identify real, substantive, long-term solutions to the numerous problems plaguing our land,” the release stated.
It posited also that the Linden crisis has highlighted “multiple failures in Guyanese society, from police brutality, repression of freedom of speech, poverty and unemployment, to lack of State accountability, racism, corruption, and repression of dissent -Guyanese people have no holiday from problems.”
However, within 15 hours of setting up camp in the park, police showed up and demanded that the People’s Parliament camp be removed from the space.
“We resisted. It’s a public space, we argued, and we are simply exercising our right to assemble and speak freely. The police brought in prisoners to dismantle the tents. But we remained.
“We stuck our banners and placards firmer and further into the ground and stood defiant. That night, we slept under the stars, on beds of cardboard, and in the morning, continued our campaign all over again.”
While the ‘official’ Parliament enjoys their August-October recess, the work of the People’s Parliament has just begun, the release asserted.
“In the week that we have been in session, scores of Guyanese people have been hard at work, engaging in candid discussion, sharing their hopes, fears, and dreams for a better society and future for themselves, their families, friends and neighbours. “Overwhelmingly, Guyanese over the last week have expressed a burning desire for human rights, social justice, and equality. They have spoken of their hopes and dreams for a nation free of racial divisiveness, of a society where each person’s potential can be achieved, where people’s basic needs can be met at all times, and where there is real state accountability and responsiveness to the citizens.”
According to the release, in the past week the People’s Parliament has held significant ground.
“In the face of state intimidation, we have resisted successfully and have created and maintained a significant public presence. We have left the comfort and security of our homes to gather in a public show of solidarity, to reclaim our country and to create the change we want to see. We believe that people have the power to transform their communities in meaningful and long-lasting ways, and that collective action is key to eradicating racism and violence in our society.”
The People’s Parliament is a 24-hour occupation of time, space, and consciousness, the release explained, and it is a re-imagining of what Guyanese society could be like.
