Following a meeting with Police Commissioner Leslie James, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) executive Anil Nandlall has submitted racist statements and threats made by various persons on Facebook for an investigation and action.
Nandlall, a former Attorney General, in a letter addressed to James yesterday, also said that more statements of a similar nature would be turned over as they are unearthed.
Nandlall’s letter to James was copied to the Ethnic Relations Commission.
The statements include anti-East Indian sentiments as well as threats of violence against the PPP.
Asked by Stabroek News how the statements submitted were selected and whether his party will be willing to provide evidence against supporters of his own party who may have made similar remarks, Nandlall noted that yesterday’s submission was “the first set of evidence” and it was not a full list. “At the meeting with the Commissioner we have said that this is occurring on both sides of the political divide. There are people who are making these statements and we invite the Police Commissioner to treat these matters evenhandedly right across the political divide in fairness and good judgement,” Nandlall said.
Nandlall was part of a PPP/C delegation, which included PPP/C presidential candidate Irfaan Ali and Prime Ministerial Candidate Mark Phillips, which met with James on Wednesday following a request for an urgent meeting.
The meeting was to address concerns of the party to ensure that systems are put in place to tackle any situation that may arise as the country awaits the declaration of the results from the controversy-ridden March 2 polls.
During the meeting, the party raised the issue of persons making “racially hostile” threats on social media.
Ali said that the issue of race baiting and attempts to divide the people of Guyana are visible to anyone browsing social media. He noted that many of those involved in these acts are not persons who live here.
“A lot of these persons who are doing this, trying to divide our people racially, are those living outside of Guyana, who have no interest in coming back here but seem bent on creating mischief and I think it is time the force deal with these persons in a condign manner,” he added when he spoke with reporters on Wednesday at the conclusion of the meeting.
