Dear Editor,
Kindly permit me to respond to Mr. Harry Gill’s letter that was published in your newspaper on Sunday 24th April, 2016 `Carol Joseph’s disgraceful behaviour hindering progress on the Region Five council’.
Editor, I would like to deal categorically with the issues that Mr. Gill raised.
- I was travelling in a hire car some time prior to the 2015 General and Regional Elections and Mr. Harry Gill was speaking to two young ladies about the People’s National Congress (PNC) and Mr. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. Editor, the lies that he was peddling was more than I could take so as a proud member of the PNC I set the records straight much to his displeasure for he was trying to mislead these two young ladies who were not even born at the time of Mr. Burnham’s tenure and even at the time of his death.
- Editor, during the November 2015 Remembrance Ceremony at the Regional Democratic Council Compound I was given Poppies by the Deputy Regional Executive Officer Mr. Govind Singh to give to the Regional Councillors present. The Regional Vice Chairman Mr. Rion Peters who is a Councillor was standing in the company of Mr. Gill when I gave him his poppy. I then went on to give the other Councillors. A few minutes after, Mr. Gill approached me and introduced himself as the Region No. 5 Member of Parliament and I told him he was not our Member of Parliament for we have two Members of Parliament Ms. Jennifer Wade and Ms. Priya Manickchand. He then said that he is representing Ms. Manickchand who could not make it, I then directed him to the Regional Chairman and never uttered another word to him for the balance of the day.
- I am at a loss to understand the encounter Mr. Gill spoke about at the Woodlands/Belair NDC Office for I won the second prize at the Survival Supermarket Christmas 2015 Bonanza which was a Trip for Four to Jamaica, I departed Guyana on OJ 262 Fly Jamaica with my three family members on the evening of Friday April 01, 2016 and returned on the evening of Thursday April 07, 2016 on OJ 263 Fly Jamaica (See attached documentation to substantiate my response). The Election which Mr. Gill wrote about took place on Tuesday April, 05, 2016.
- Editor, the Thursday April 21st, 2016 encounter which Mr. Gill referred to in his letter is nothing but a figment of his imagination. On Sunday April 17th, 2016 on the Programme ‘Perspective’ Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha, the Regional Chairman and the Regional Vice Chairman publicly called on the people of Region No. 5 to come out in their numbers and support them at the Regional Statutory Meeting. Editor, the people came out but not in support of the PPP/C but in support of the Coalition Councillors who are demanding an apology from the Regional Chairman Mr. Vickchand Ramphal who disrespected His Excellency on two occasions, January 15, 2016 when he did not show up for handing over of two school buses to the Region and on March 5, 2016 at Foulis West Coast Berbice at a public meeting where he referred to His Excellency the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, as a ‘Jackass’.
Editor, the picketing exercise was very peaceful. At about 10:30 hrs. I was standing in the middle of the entrance of the Boardroom Compound singing along with the residents when Mr. Harry Gill armed with a camera minus the tripod that he claimed he had passed very close to my right and he on passing raised his elbow and hit me at the right side of my right breast. I immediately reported it to the Police Officers present who advised me to make a report at the Fort Wellington Police Station next door. I complied and was given a medical form to go see the doctor. I then returned to the Boardroom and spoke to the Regional Health Officer who was present and who advised me that I would have to have the area x-rayed. I left the Boardroom en route to the Fort Wellington Hospital when somewhere in the vicinity of the entrance to the boardroom compound and the public road I felt a sharp pain which caused me to fall and all I can remember is waking up to persons fanning me and hearing the calls of persons for the ambulance. Editor, I was assisted by several persons all of whom can attest to the assault by Mr. Gill.
On or around this time, the Commander of “B” Division arrived and advised the persons present that it is illegal to block the entrance of the Boardroom, I then echoed his call and left for the Fort Wellington Hospital with a private car.
Editor, Mr. Harry Gill made mention in his letter that I am suspended from the Council, well I would be happy to know from him when this happened since he did mention that since January 2016 the Council did not hold a Statutory Meeting.
Editor, Mr. Harry Gill’s comments of hindering the progress of Region No. 5 should be associated with the PPP/C Councillors who in 2015 and 2016 refused to vote on the Budget presented. The Honourable Minister of Communities gave all the Regional Chairmen of the Administrative regions a document to discuss, Regional Development at Council level since June 2015, to date that document has never reached the council. When the Coalition Councillors asked about the document the Regional Chairman said that the PPP/C rejects the document. Editor, it is disgraceful when at a statutory meeting of the council a PPP/C councillor called His Excellency a criminal and the Regional Chairman did not discipline her.
Editor, if standing up to the PPP/C for disrespecting the President, His Excellency Mr. David Arthur Granger is disgraceful then I will continue to be disgraceful until His Excellency is apologised to by the Regional Chairman Mr. Vickchand Ramphal.
Yours faithfully
Carol Joseph