Hundreds of New York-based Guyanese gathered on Saturday evening at the corner of 134th Liberty Avenue, New York, calling for democracy and transparency in the electoral process.
At the rally, they sounded the call for peace, love and unity for all, with some pointing out that they were not there because of a political party, but because of democracy and for free and fair elections.
Aminta Kilawan-Narine, an attorney, told the gathering: “It feels like we are going backwards in time and this is painful to experience. How do we sustainably move forward? We can stand here, we can call for peace but we need to go beyond that. …Pressures need to come from us in the diaspora,” she said.
With a loud response from the crowd, she said: “I am calling on those in positions of power, to ensure that democracy prevails… In the end, is it worth shedding blood for the profit of oil? In the end, are we to put politics over country? … Our love for our country is not based on race.”
She also pointed out that she saw tears in the eyes of her parents “because this has hit home really hard. They were freedom fighters… How is it that when elections season hits, all hell breaks loose.”
In her passionate message, she asked: “How far have we really come? And you know who suffers the most? Those Guyanese who work so hard to make ends meet, who fight to rise above poverty, day in and day out… They don’t have time to fight with each other, yet their lives are being impacted.”
Kilawan-Narine, cofounder of Sadhana Coalition of Progressive Hindus, also expressed concern for the children who now have to question whether their streets are safe before they head to school and the businesses that are suffering.
Some displayed placards, which read: “we fight today for a better tomorrow,” “less impunity, more democracy,” “we stand with Guyana, we stand for democracy” and “peace in Guyana,” as they expressed displeasure at the way the Region Four results were declared.
A minute of silence was observed for Devon Hansraj, the youth who police shot and killed during a protest at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice.
The rally, made up of mostly supporters of the People’s Progressive Party, was held close to Sybil’s Bakery. It saw the presence of the New York Police Department, as well as support from representatives from the Queens County District.
Donovan Richards, an American, said he was standing with the people and that they are “stronger together… divided we fall…” as the crowd continued: “together we stand.”
He said: “The people back home should know that the people who come here are standing for democracy every step of the way.”
He added: “We can’t have nations with democracy for a few; it has to be democracy for all. So when the people speak, we have to respect what they say and the people clearly send a message in this election. …This is why we are here today, because when we are united, nothing can defeat the people.”
He said that in Queens, which is the most diverse borough, they are building bridges while there are “others who want to build walls.”
Joanne Franco delivered a message on behalf of the leader of District 32, Anthony Andrews, which said: “…I am overcome with sadness with what is happening in Guyana. What has happened in the last few days is totally inconceivable to me. The people that are causing the riots and disruptions in any government service cannot be allowed to continue this path…”
He added: “No matter how people feel about the results, it is now time to come together in solidarity.”
He hoped that the politics of Guyana does not “trickle down to the United States… We must stand in unity here in the United States and send a message back home that a country divided will certainly fall.”
Professor Dhanpaul Narine, in his remarks, said that because of the love for his country, Guyana, he, like many others, is having sleepless nights as he follows on the internet what is going on.
“… Today our land is in trouble, we want democracy, we want peace because we are a people of peace.”
He said that before he came to the rally, he spoke to the parents of Hansraj and the young man’s father asked him to say to them that they must “stand up for peace in the country (Guyana). So let us work for a peaceful change in the country so that when we meet next time… we will celebrate peace.”
Richard David, who is running for office in Assembly District 31, recalled that as a child growing up at Dundee, Mahaicony, he heard stories of how Indo-Guyanese people suffered. He said he was terrified when the people who were standing up against injustice were being shot.
According to him, Cheddi Jagan taught people to fight for democracy and that they were not going to let democracy slip away.
He said they came out to the rally to call for peace in Guyana, for the recount of the votes in Region Four and for it to match the process that the other regions have followed.
Speaking to Stabroek News (SN), one youth said he was out there to “support and observe what was going on. I am for democracy and I am out here to provide whatever support that I can.”
He said he has been following everything closely and it is clear that the election is rigged and it needs to be corrected.
He said too that the voting system is outdated and that there is need for a new and updated process.
Keith Henry, feels that what is happening is Guyana is “disgusting. I just feel that because of political ideology and because we have different views, we feel that we have to hate each other. But at the end of the day we are all Guyanese.
Sporting an APNU+AFC t-shirt, Henry told this newspaper that he believes in democracy and was not “agreeing with the hate and the unrest that was going on.”
He also feels that the “votes should definitely be recounted and whoever gets the majority should run the country.”
He was sad that a life was lost and wondered how it got to that point.
He emphasized that in America all of the Guyanese were considered to be blacks and that they need to support each other.
Romeo Hitlall, one of the organizers told this newspaper that on Thursday morning they decided to plan the rally to call for peace and to ensure that their voices are heard.
“The entire world knows what is going on so we just want people to stand up for democracy to make sure they do the right thing in Guyana,” he said.
He was pleased with the support and the huge turnout and hoped that the courts would make the right ruling.
Edward Fraser, a cyber security analyst, said he came out to the rally because he understood the “importance of the issue in Guyana. We do not want a dictatorship. What has happened is reminiscent of what happened in Cuba many years ago and of course, what happened in Venezuela. And for us to go in that direction, is backward.”
He added: “The fact that we are such a large diaspora population in New York, we have a right to stand up for our country. …We contribute a lot to our families there.”
He said it was important to come out and let the world, especially the United States, know that as a strategic ally that they were not condoning it as a diaspora community.
He called on the people in Guyana to stand firm.
Stephen Rahamatulla, a physiotherapist, told SN that the fight for democracy should not be about race. He recalled that his friend at high school in Guyana was of African descent and that this new generation has learnt how to love and live with one another.
He too said that the colonialists have divided them but they need to “come back and say we are One People, One Nation, One Destiny. We don’t care who win the elections. We just want the process to be free and fair, we want transparency and legitimacy. …My heart bleeds for my country.”
