Mayor Hamilton Green has dismissed the reasons given by acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba for the barricading of City Hall on Tuesday and has since demanded an explanation from the Chief City Constable.
A day after supporters of a prayer service and meeting organised by the Mayor and some councillors were denied entry to the City Hall compound, a group turned up yesterday and a held a mock funeral service for Sooba. The group of women, who Green described as “enthusiastic,” marched their way into the precincts of City Hall bearing a doll, clad in red, which they referred to as “Sooba,” while they sang popular hymns.
In an interview with Stabroek News, Green said that he had written to the Chief Constable requesting an explanation for the decision to deny entry to both religious figures from the Christian, Muslim and Hindu faiths and supporters who sought to attend the prayer meeting planned in support of the Leader of the Opposition’s call for the holding of local government elections.
He described the action by the City Constabulary as “unprofessional” and opined that the body has been manipulated as part of the state’s intention to maintain control of City Hall.
According to Green, the security reasons given by Sooba for the barricades were “an absurdity.”
Sooba had described the people gathered outside the City Hall as “unruly.”
“The City Constabulary took control to see no chaos in the City Hall,” she explained, before later adding that she did not direct the move and that the City Constables “knew what they had to do to protect all assets.”
Green, however, said he could not understand how the acting Town Clerk knew some of the crowd was unruly, “when they never got into the compound.”
He said he later learned that the religious priests he had invited were all locked out as well as a young lady his wife sent to him and a man who was attempting to meet Public Relations Officer Royston King.
Additionally, Green stated that Sooba could not be serious about her security concerns in the light issues with her bodyguard, Sean Hinds, about whom he had lodged concerns with police.
“We have video footage of Hinds breaking into and damaging the City Hall property,” Green mentioned, while also declaring that nothing is being done by the police or City Constabulary to address that matter. He did, however, mention that he was informed by Commissioner of Police (ag) Seelall Persaud that the security of City Hall is the responsibility of the City Constabulary.
Planned provocation
Green said he believed what happened on Tuesday was part of a plan to provoke him and his councillors into violence. However, he said, they will not be tempted. “What is worrisome is that the government minister seems quite comfortable with that person to act as their pit bull, [and] destroy the city where they only got 27% of the votes,” he said.
Green added that when one goes around the city it is clear that even the supporters of the government are fed-up with the level of corruption and the fact that the city is making no progress. “They are not fooling anybody,” he stated.
When asked about the actions to be taken against Sooba, Green said, “We are going to up the ante and get public support for the call for local government elections.”
