Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier David Granger has renewed his call for a Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate the many deaths on the East Coast Demerara between 2000 and 2010.
A release from the PNCR said that Granger made this call while addressing a gathering in the Buxton-Friendship community to observe the first anniversary of the erection of the Buxton monument on August 3, ‘Memorial Day.’ He stated that too many innocent persons of different ethnicities had been killed and it was difficult to understand why the government continued to dodge its duty to investigate the atrocity.
He told the audience that the Buxton Monument was the ‘frozen memory’ of the 173-year-old community’s experiences through the period he called the ‘Troubles.’
According to the release, he recommended a policy of reconciliation in order to remove the stigma from which residents had suffered over the past decade. He warned against revenge as it can exhaust their energy but cannot engender progress. He quoted Biblical verses to advise that “vengeance” belonged to God, not man.
Brigadier Granger said that monuments were for the dead but educational and economic establishments must be created for the living. He advised youths to remain in school and complete their education so as to give themselves and their families a good life.
The PNCR leader promised to support a community recovery programme that focused on education, employment, empowerment and micro-enterprise to improve the quality of life in the community, the release added.
