Dear Editor,
What transpired at the BOSAI /PPP regime planned ceremony to commission Kiln #15 at that bauxite company at Linden is nothing short of gross disrespect to our leaders and elected officials at Linden.
Friday’s event saw President Ali giving the feature address to a packed hall consisting primarily of PPP officials and BOSAI’s representatives from the People’s Republic of China. The Prime Minister of Guyana was also present.
The Opposition elected officials of Linden and the Region were treated with disrespect and disdain, prompting Mayor Elect, Sharma Solomon to walk out of that ceremony. Region Ten Chairman, Deron Adams who received an official invitation from BOSAI to attend and give brief remarks was at the last minute struck from the programme. Though in attendance, he was not allowed to make an address.
A Linden journalist was refused entry into the venue and was told that only state owned NCN journalists were allowed entry.
This government is now being put on notice that the Opposition will not sit idly by and allow its local leaders to be treated with gross disrespect by this government. Further, we call on the Guyana Press Association to look into the issue of a Linden journalist being deliberately and maliciously prevented from doing her work. This assault on press freedom must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
The PPP government is still reeling from the crushing defeat it faced, at Linden, at this year’s LGEs. The people of Linden and Region Ten, through the ballots, have reposed confidence in their local leaders to represent them. The dictatorship must know that our leader must be allowed to do just that.
Sincerely yours,
Norman Browne
Social and Political Activist