Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC has denied objecting to calls for the end of the use word by “negro” by the police in the description of suspects.
In a statement on his Facebook page yesterday Nandlall said he is not supportive of the use of the word but that was not the issue in question in relation to recent accusations against activist Kidackie Amsterdam.
Nandlall said: “It has been drawn to my attention that in certain quarters on social media it is being peddled that I objected ‘to Guyanese of African descent calling for the removal of the word negro from the Guyana Police Force.’
“For the record, I have done no such thing. My post on this issue is still on my page and available for scrutiny. It related to the sudden and opportunistic objection to the use of the term by a particular Attorney-at-Law after it has been in use for over 180 years without any prior objection. The leader of his political party was the Minister of Home Affairs from 2015 to 2020.
“The truth is, I am not supportive of the use of that term. However, that was never the issue raised in my post”.
He said that the matter assumed prominence during the investigations by the Police of certain statements made by a caller on a social media platform programme hosted by Amsterdam where the caller was advocating for the decapitation of the President and three Ministers of the Government – all of whom happen to be East Indians.
Nandlall said that Amsterdam is on record thanking the caller for his contribution and proceeded to make other statements which will fall for legal determination at his trial.
“In my post, I also questioned the public silence on the horrendous content of the call. That silence is yet to be broken. Not a word of condemnation, thus far, from those very quarters, on the call to behead the President and three members of the Cabinet of Guyana, all of whom are East Indians!
“Would I be reckless to interpret this silence as an expression of support? What do you think?”, Nandlall asked.
Amsterdam has since been charged with the offence of using a computer system to encourage or incite persons to commit a criminal offence against the President of Guyana, in contravention of Section 18(1)(c) of the Cyber Crime Act, No 16 of 2018.
