-but says independent probe needed for justice
While calling on police to do a thorough investigation, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon yesterday said that an independent investigation would be needed in order to ensure that justice is served in the murders of West Coast Berbice teenagers Isaiah Henry and Joel Henry.
During a visit, Harmon told residents of Region Five and relatives of the slain teens that while they don’t know who the perpetrators are, there are some suspicions. “I call on the police to do a thorough investigation of this matter,” he said, while adding that although he stood by the residents’ protests throughout the region in response to the killings, the residents should allow the police to do their job.
However, Harmon also charged that the investigative arm of the Guyana Police Force has been infiltrated by “known thugs” and as a result he said “we will have to insist that there be an independent investigation and independent forensic work so that the evidence which is acquired nobody can’t hide it and duck it. So we have to be very vigilant but allow the police to do their work.”
Former president David Granger, who also visited the families of the victims yesterday, charged that the problem in the region started since March 6th, when supporters of the PPP/C staged a protest and stoned a school bus with students. “If the PPP had taken action then, this event, this hatred, this attitude, this would not have occurred but they allowed that to pass, nobody tried to explain, nobody tried to apologise,” he asserted.
“Whatever happens on this day, we have to establish some self defence society to protect our children, protect our women and our young people because unless we protect ourselves nobody is going to protect us,” the former president added.
He stressed that they must protect themselves and ensure that “young people of any race are protected from this type of crime. They must be able to go to school and the backdam and live ordinary lives… This is one country and for the last five years we struggled to build social cohesion, we struggled to treat every-body equal; nothing like this ever happened for five years.”
A man then interjected to inform Granger that this was not the first time the suspect was arrested for the murder of someone, to which the former president responded, “Well my brother, I said all lives matter. All lives matter and we must make sure we can protect ourselves and our communities.”
Like Harmon, Granger said that the residents’ response to the murders was correct. “What you all are doing here is the correct response to a crime and the government must protect all citizens, who-ever they are, wherever they are, day and night, and it is not happening and that is not happening and if the government does not do its duty to protect our citizens, we must protect our-selves,” he said. “All Guyanese must be able to walk freely in this country,” he added, while urging that they continue to bring pressure against the government to make sure that there is no recurrence of the crimes.
The APNU+AFC pledged to cover the funeral expense for the victims yesterday. “That’s what a caring administration does, so don’t let nobody come in here afterwards and tell you them gonna do this and them gonna do that. When they come, you tell them that the APNU+AFC coalition already take care of that. We already take care of that. So I ask of you to remain vigilant. There are some things we have to do as a community, we have to work to keep our community safe,” Harmon stated.
The bodies of Isaiah, 16 and Joel, 18, were found on Sunday with multiple wounds, one day after they went missing after they left home to head to the back-lands to pick coconuts. Residents of Region Five subsequently began a pro-test along the main public road in Number 5 Village, West Coast Berbice, over the murders.
Meanwhile, Granger also took the opportunity to lash out at the government for the rising number of deaths due to COVID-19, while claiming that after his coalition left government the number of deaths increased quickly. “The government is not looking after human beings, it is not looking after our people and this is the worst case of not protecting our citizens,” he said.
