By Rae Wiltshire
At least one person was held yesterday after a skirmish between protestors and police during a planned demonstration outside of the Marriott Hotel as its opening ceremony was being held.
At Battery Road, Kingston, the police erected a barricade to prevent persons from proceeding to the entrance of the hotel.
Nonetheless, protestors started to proceed with their placards, some of which read, “INVEST IN UG, NOT LUXURY,” “STOP FOOLING TAXPAYERS” and “BUILD FIVE STAR UNIVERSITY NOT HOTEL WITH OUR MONEY.”
Tempers flared as police prevented them from moving forward on the public road. “It is our democratic right. Is our taxpayers’ money that build that hotel and we can’t walk pun this road?” one protestor shouted as persons dodged and evaded the police.
City Mayor Hamilton Green, who was among the protesters, was also frustrated by the police during his attempts to proceed.
The protestors forged ahead with roaring noises of disapproval but one man whose voice towered above the rest was whisked away by the police.
“Leave him alone. What did he do?” some shouted. They stopped and looked back as the man was taken away by the police ranks.
The protestors were then met with another line of policemen, who tried to stop their movements but they stormed ahead anyway.
After futile attempts to contain the protestors, the police formed a third barricade with more than a dozen officers to cut off their movements and this time they were successful.
Rights activist Sherlina Nageer managed to elude the police for a while until she was cut off by an inspector and two other officers, who held on to her hands and tried to prevent her from moving ahead. “Loose me or a gon’ bite ya,” a distressed Nageer said. “Is my money build that hotel. Why are you holding me hand?” she asked.
The scuffle went on for about five minutes and Nageer finally freed herself of the policemen’s grip. She then dashed ahead for her destination but encountered another obstacle.
This time it was a female police officer, who tried to stop her. However, the officer’s efforts were futile and the woman sprinted to the entrance of the hotel with her placard. She had two police officers at the side of her while she stood with her placard held high above her head.
“Is there anything illegal about this? Is there anything offensive about this placard?” Mayor Green asked the inspector in charge of the ranks. He looked down at the mayor’s placard and then back up at the mayor. He offered no response.
When President Donald Ramotar arrived, APNU + AFC member Ronald Bulkan declared, “his imperial majesty has arrived”, and the protestors started to shout, “Three more weeks! Three more weeks!” The country will go to the polls for general and regional elections on May 11.
“It was horrifying and grotesque that people were not allowed to walk on the streets and the PPP/C have ads boasting and bragging that we have freedom of speech. That is hypocrisy at its best and that ad needs to be pulled because it is a lie,” Bulkan later said.
“I’m here to express my displeasure and disgust on this unlawfully funded monstrosity. Taxpayers’ money has been used unlawfully and it is a crime for which they must have consequences,” he continued.
Bulkan said the state should not be interested in building a hotel but it should be interested in looking after the people’s every-day needs. He said instead of a five-star hotel, Guyana needs a five-star university.
Even more damning, he added, is that the hotel was built with taxpayers’ money and no Guyanese labour was used during the initial construction.
Columnist Freddie Kissoon said he was protesting because taxpayers’ money was wasted on the hotel.
“There is no credible evidence to suggest that this monstrosity will generate money,” Kissoon said, while calling the spending irresponsible.
He added that both the Princess Hotel and the Pegasus Hotel struggle to fill their rooms and he asked if Marriott would be able to fill its rooms.
Kissoon said when the next government gets into power, the hotel should be transformed into a hospital or university. “Human development we are after and not this example of a corrupt cabal,” Kissoon said.
He started to engage the policemen that blocked the protestors from proceeding forward. “Don’t allow persons to give you illegal instructions, stand up for what is right,” he said.
Rafel Downes, another protestor, said he was from Kopinang, North Pakaraimas, which has been neglected because it is remote.
“I am not against development but people need basic amenities and they are building a five-star hotel,” Downes said.
“Many persons in far-flung communities are crying out and they are barefaced with this spending on the Marriott Hotel,” he added.
Downes said taxpayers’ money is being wasted and there is no accountability. He said the country needs basic infrastructure and if 10% of what was spent on the Marriott was spent on education in Kopinang it could have improved by 200%.
Downes said some of the money used on Marriott could’ve also been used to improve Kopinang health system.
