City Mayor, Ubraj Narine and Member of Parliament, Sherod Duncan, both appeared yesterday morning at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan where several charges were read to them following a standoff on Monday evening over the intended removal of vending caravans outside of the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Duncan and Narine were charged jointly with the offences of using a computer system to attempt to Excite Ethnic Divisions contrary to section 18(2) of the Cybercrime Act of 2018 and attempting to excite hostility or ill-will on the grounds of Race contrary to Section 2(3) of the Racial Hostility Act, chapter 23:01.
They also were charged jointly for Obstructing Traffic contrary to Section 61 of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act Chapter 51:02. Narine faces an additional obstructing traffic charge.
After protesting for some three hours outside the court, vendors were visibly relieved when the Mayor, attorney Roysdale Forde SC, Duncan, Amanza Walton-Desir, and other APNU members, emerged.
Forde, Member of Parliament and the lead attorney for the matter, told protestors that Duncan and the mayor were brought to the magistrate’s court by the Government of Guyana to charge them under the Cybercrime Act, the motor vehicle act, and the racial hostility act, with the allegations that they made statements to excite racial hostility and ethnic divisions in this country.
They were placed on bail for the cybercrime charge, and the racial hostility charge in the sum of $200,000 dollars each. In relation to the other charges, they were placed on their own recognizance.
The attorney told the gathering outside the court that the public is well aware that no such statements were made by the Mayor nor Duncan on the night in question. He reiterated that the charges are part of a process by the government to shut the opposition down.
He explained that the court had issued orders seeking to gag the Mayor and Duncan from speaking about the matter. Also, the gag order was extended to their agents, and servants. However, Forde asserted that this is a democratic country and everyone has a right to speak, and should enjoy freedom of speech. The attorney also called on the government to explain why the Minister of Home Affairs had reason to visit the Magistrate’s Court a few minutes before the matter was called.
He opined that his clients ought to have been placed on their own recognizance in relation to all the charges. He supported his stance by saying, “We had a president that was charged on 19 fraud charges, and he was let go on his own recognizance.” He made it known to those present that the next step for the Member of Parliament, Mayor, and the Opposition, is to intensify the struggle. “We are not backing down but going forward.”
Forde told the protestors that as far as the gag orders are concerned, the APNU+AFC consider them unconstitutional and therefore “they will do what they have to do.” He noted that the battle is not restricted to court, but that it is in the homes, and in the streets, and they are going forward. He also asserted that the Government is trying to silence the opposition, and assured that the APNU-AFC will not be silenced. “We will not be bullied, we will not back down.”
Meanwhile the mayor thanked all his supporters, lawyers, MPs, leaders of the opposition, and vendors, for all their support noting that all the vendors present were just trying to make an honest living in Guyana.
Not be silenced
Narine said “I will not be silenced. All this action that is happening, I will continue to fight for the people of the city and the country.” He added, “We all have to stand up for democracy, we all have freedom of speech, and we must stand together to fight …” He also said that as mayor, he will continue to serve the people of the city.
Member of Parliament, Walton-Desir, who was also present as part of the defence for the Mayor and Duncan said that the police force was totally unprepared since the prosecutor had no facts. Further, it was embarrassing, she said, that the police were unable to report exactly what Narine would have said that constituted the offences. She noted that it is important for supporters to understand that in the haste to demoralize the people, they are willing to put the administration of justice “under serious embarrassment.”
And as far as she is concerned, APNU+AFC “are in the right,” and will continue with the struggle. Also, she assured the protestors that the people of Guyana will continue to support them, because “it is about every Guyanese, our democratic and our fundamental rights.”
Meanwhile, coalition member, Khemraj Ramjattan opined that what the magistrate charged Duncan and Narine with, could not be regarded as exciting racial tensions and hostility. He referenced the ‘damaging’ remark which was said in court during the interview. “Is this because I’m a Hindu and he’s a Muslim? That he cannot work with me. I listen to the president on racism, these are black people, are you going to bulldoze them in this manner or have a talk with them? Like you did with the speed boat operators? Like you did with rice farmers? Like you did to cane cutters and fisher folks? Because they are majority Indians? But these are black people, you are bulldozing them like dogs and animals.”
Ramjattan challenged the government to publish on the Ministry of Agriculture’s website, the names of all the fisher folk, rice farmers, and others who have received government subsidies and contracts if they want to disprove what the APNU+AFC is saying. He questioned why is it when vendors, who are majority ‘Afro Guyanese’, and making their livelihood there for several years, that now the Government wants to bulldoze them? He suggested that instead, they should go and talk to them because the vendors are not receiving any kind of benefits or cash grants.
He further queried that if a politician, and a mayor are not allowed to utter the words they did, then what happens to freedom of expression? He added that the APNU+AFC won’t allow these kinds of “machinations, and nasty things” to happen to public figures of the high office of the mayor of the city, and a parliamentarian.
Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, yesterday said that the press conference the APNU+AFC held on Tuesday stated clearly that the coalition had information that the government would go after Duncan. Other persons present at the Court were the Deputy Mayor, Alfred Mentore, Member of Parliament, Volda Lawrence, other APNU+AFC members, and vendors who came out to support the Mayor.
