APNU parliamentarian Vanessa Kissoon has denied being arrested for disrupting a PPP meeting and has called on Guyanese to denounce the intolerance of freedom of expression in Linden and Guyana even as the opposition alliance appears to have chastised her for her behaviour.
In a statement yesterday, Kissoon said that it is unfortunate that media reports are being carried about her being arrested but the accuracy of such a report was not verified or validated. “It should be stated clearly, that I was never arrested by the Police and therefore could not have been released. This information could have corroborated by contacting me or the Police E Division. The source of the information of being arrested and released is not only malicious but seems driven by intent to further discredit me in the eyes of the public as someone who is only capable of a street fight for justice,” she said.
Stabroek News reported yesterday that Kissoon was arrested and released on Tuesday evening after she disrupted a meeting held in Linden by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). This newspaper at the time, could not reach Kissoon for comment on the matter.
In her statement yesterday, Kissoon said that as a politician and citizen of Guyana who is fully aware of what it is to be a victim of state aggression and as one who is committed to sacrificing her time and energies toward securing the rights of the people of Linden/Region 10 and all Guyanese, particularly vulnerable women folk, she is not against using every constitutional measure at her disposal to fight to protect these rights.
“As far as I am aware there is no law in my country preventing anyone from heckling any government official or politician. Our right to shout or speak (heckle) at a public meeting is enshrined in the right to the freedom of speech. Unfortunately these freedoms continue to be violated in our beautiful country and more so in Linden where a vindictive government has continued to deny us access to state media and the media that was gifted to the people of Linden by (Green) Construction even though they agreed to return it in the 21st August 2012 Agreement with (the) Region 10 Regional Democratic Council,” she declared.
“This leaves myself and the people of Linden/Region 10 with no alternative but to respond and express ourselves within our community on issues that affect us whenever opportunity arises,” Kissoon said while accusing Minister in the Ministry of Finance Juan Edghill of using the state media in Linden to verbally abuse her and Lindeners.
“We have no access, no opportunity for other forms of response in Linden,” Kissoon said while asserting that Edghill is no “gilded horse” to the people of Linden and therefore Lindeners are not in any way obliged to respectfully listen to him when he comes to address them.
“The right to heckle will be upheld in Linden/Region 10. And it is this right that I supported in representing one of my fellow Lindeners who was arrested by the police.” The arrest of her fellow Lindener brings to the fore concerns of the people about the widespread police intolerance that is being encouraged as a means of violating the rights of the people of Linden, Kissoon said while calling on the Commissioner of Police, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, the Human Rights association, politicians and Guyanese to “denounce the effort and intolerance of freedom of expression in Linden and Guyana.”
However, the APNU+AFC alliance appeared to distance itself from Kissoon’s actions late yesterday. In a statement last evening, the alliance said that it “forthrightly condemns” all acts of intimidation and aggression at all political meetings. “The coalition is appealing to all supporters and activists of all political parties to conduct themselves honourably and respectfully at all times when at political meetings or campaigning otherwise. APNU+AFC reiterates once again that it is fully committed to a clean campaign,” the statement said.
Without naming Kissoon, the alliance said that it has “internally addressed reports which have been brought to its attention relating to unfortunate actions of an official.”
It also called on the PPP/C to take action against persons who have been aggressive towards APNU+AFC officials and supporters at public meetings of the PPP/C. The alliance also called on the PPP/C leaders to exercise good judgment in their public comments and rhetoric and refrain from race baiting, fear mongering and hateful comments which have the potential to incite persons.
“Under no circumstances will APNU+AFC condone any action which seeks to violate the constitutional rights of any Guyanese to freely exercise their right to freedom of political association,” the statement which was issued sometime after Kissoon had issued her statement, said.
Meantime, the parliamentarian observed that it is instructive that some seek to use the issue between her and PNCR General Secretary Oscar Clarke as a yardstick to judge her behaviour at any given time “and to condemn my struggles to bring respect to women and to end the domination of a people and the violation of human rights and dignity in my beautiful country.”
“It is also instructive that persons are hasty to condemn me in a society where there is no respect for human rights, dignity and the rule of law,” she added. Kissoon noted that even when the APNU+ AFC alliance leaders visited New York in the US, they were greeted by heckling and supporters heckled the hecklers in turn.
She questioned whether the coalition’s supporters would be deemed “counterproductive.”
“It is time that Guyanese stop demonising those who are forced to use whatever legitimate means they have at their disposal to be heard. It is time that we stop condemning those who exercise democratic rights,” Kissoon declared.
“The Linden issue will not deter me in my efforts since I am prepared to use all available legal and democratic means to fight any force that threatens me and those who elected me to be their representatives. In this regard, I claim no unique courage for history is filled with women such as me and countless men, who in their struggles though defiled were able to make a difference in the lives of many,” she said.
