The AFC has lauded the opposition by Aishalton residents to their village council’s decision to remove schoolteacher John Adams from the community, while saying Amerin-dians need to know their rights.
At a press conference yesterday, AFC Member of Parliament Valerie Garrido-Lowe emphasised the need for the situation to be dealt with fairly rather than politically.
Garrido-Lowe further noted the comments of Regis James, an Aishalton village councillor, who stated that the village was a village council and not a Neighbourhood Demo-cratic Council (NDC).
According to Garrido-Lowe, the fact that Aishalton is controlled by a village council should not impede the dispensation from its leaders of fair treatment and proper representation of the community’s residents. She added that a village council should not deny justice to residents who had been wronged.
“The laws of Guyana exist for all citizens of this country, whether we live in the hinterland in villages managed by village councils or whether we live in the capital city [and] managed by the mayor and city councilors,” Garrido-Lowe maintained.
Furthermore, she said, citizens are free to criticise elected leaders and representatives because freedom of speech is a basic human right enshrined in a democratic nation. Garrido-Lowe alluded to a failure by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to adequately inform hinterland and Amerindian residents of their basic human rights.
“Every year, millions of dollars are approved for Amerindian development but is the Amerindian Act being taught in schools? Are hinterland and Amerindian residents aware of their rights as citizens of this country?” Garrido-Lowe questioned before continuing, “The Amerindian Minister must know that development is not restricted to the handing over of outboard engines, pick-ups, solar panels and creating the idea that the President is the “daddy” of the country, so [he] cannot be rebutted at a meeting where he was obviously campaigning.”
Meanwhile, the AFC also lashed out at President Donald Ramotar’s alleged insults towards Adams during a meeting in Aishalton late last year. According to Garrido-Lowe, even the president can be wrong and is therefore liable to correction. She said in Adams’ case, in which he was insulted and assaulted, “this ‘Daddy’ and his guard were very wrong and the residents of Aishalton were right to reject the ridiculous decision of the village council at their recent meeting to expel teacher Adams from the village. The residents stood for justice and they won!”
Garrido-Lowe continued, “Instead of ridiculing and threatening Mr. Adams, the president–if he saw himself as a ‘Daddy’ of the nation– should have taken the time to respond calmly to Mr. Adams and provide proper answers.”
In early December, Adams, an Aishalton secondary school teacher, had reported that he had been slapped by a presidential guard during a rally in his community. Adams had claimed that he had been targeted because he had been vocal against Ramotar, something the guard had not taken too kindly to.
Subsequently, a recording surfaced in which a voice, purportedly that of President Ramotar, is heard calling Aishalton teacher John Adams “stupid.”
In the recording the person suspected to be Ramotar’s could be heard bashing the opposition. There was a brief gap before he was heard saying, “You don’t know anything ’bout Jagdeo; if he been hay he might have slap yuh cause yuh stupid.”
Soon afterwards, the Aishalton village council indicated that a petition was launched to have Adams removed from the community.
According to the village council, Adams had “shamed” the community. Further, the council claimed that over 130 persons supported the council’s move to expel Adams from the village.
However, former village toshao Tony James rejected the council’s claims that residents were calling for Adams’ removal and maintained that the move was politically-driven. “It is wrong for the community of Aishalton to be mentioned as supporting the decision,” James said. “Everybody know this is politically-driven. There are a lot of people who did not agree, who did not attend the meeting. It has been politically-motivated. I don’t think there was a proper discussion,” James added.
