Dear Editor,
Councillor Kwame Warren McKoy seems to have once again restarted his obnoxious disinformation engine against the Regional Democratic Council Region 4.
On Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at some time after 13:35 hrs he ordered and demanded the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Councillors including the Regional Vice Chairman to walk out from the statutory meeting of the council.
His irate and irrational actions were without merit or good and sufficient cause, since there was no controversial issue under discussion at the time.
The facts are that Councillor Kwame McKoy arrived approximately half an hour late to the Regional Democratic Council meeting. Subsequent to his arrival, maybe about ten minutes thereafter, an unidentified man entered one of the doors and started to assemble camera equipment and fittings. He had no identification badge to reveal his name and his agency.
I requested the unknown and unidentified person to state his name and the agency which had sent him. The request was put to the person two times but there was no response.
Since there was no explanation by the unidentified man to my questions, I requested the Regional Information Officer to confirm whether he had invited the press. The RIO in his reply confirmed that he had not invited the press. The Regional Executive Officer also confirmed that he had not invited the press to the meeting. Further the Office of the Regional Chairman had not invited the press to cover the Regional Democratic Council meeting that was underway.
In view of the strange circumstances, I informed the unidentified cameraman not to film or record the proceedings of the meeting. Councillor Kwame McKoy took issue with my decision and demanded a vote after making a long interrupted presentation on the matter.
While in the process of putting the issue to the floor for discussion, Councillor McKoy instructed the unidentified cameraman to begin filming and recording. It was at that point I ordered the cameraman to leave the building.
The Regional Chairman is the authority to decide on such issues, not Councillor McKoy − reference Act 12/1980 Section 20 (2). Notwithstanding Mr McKoy’s demand for a vote, he was unwilling to allow the process of discussion on the issue, hence he objected and walked out of the meeting.
I consider the statement in the Guyana Chronicle dated February 18 on page 10 purported to have been made by the Regional Vice Chairman, namely, “The Chairman’s action is morally wrong because the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) media personnel normally cover these meetings,” to be mischievous. Over the past twenty-seven months of the 6th Regional Democratic Council the People National Congress Reform media only covered one Regional Democratic Council meeting which was held on November 18, 2008.
The Vice Chairman apparently is under the pressure of Kwame McKoy to join in promoting misinformation judging from other remarks attributed to him in the said article.
A number of Councillors of the PPP/C have complained to me about Councillor McKoy reporting against them to his party hierarchy when they do not support his contempt for the Regional Chairman at Regional Democratic Council meetings.
One could therefore understand the reason why he could have ordered them out of the meeting thus commanding their support, albeit reluctantly.
There are blatant falsehoods in the PPP/C Councillors’ press conference statement. For instance, the PPP/C Councillors never submitted orally or in writing any plans for preparations to cope with the December 2008 anticipated rains.
And at the Regional Democratic Council meeting on December 16, 2008 the PPP/C Councillors were largely unsupportive of the formation of a Regional Democratic Council Flood Control Committee.
Councillor McKoy and the PPP/C Councillors have largely been inactive with regards to the business of the Regional Democratic Council. Councillor McKoy who is the Chairman of the Education Committee has failed/omitted to provide reports to the Regional Democratic Council for over five consecutive months. He has a duty, I believe, to take it upon himself to be proactive and not be a squatter in the position of Chairman of the Region 4 Education Committee.
Councillor Kwame McKoy is yet to show prudence and leadership as a Councillor of Region 4. I wish to assure the media that media practioners will be welcome at the Regional Democratic Council Region 4 statutory meetings, subject to the due observance of protocol.
Yours faithfully,
Clement Corlette
Regional Chairman
Region 4
