Several members of the 1823 Parade Ground Movement picketed the PPP’s headquarters on Robb Street yesterday over the likely installation of former President Bharrat Jagdeo as Opposition Leader and the inclusion of several others on the party’s list for Parliament.
While the six protesters held placards, Jagdeo arrived and exchanged a few words with them before entering Freedom House.
The picketers who included newspaper columnist Freddie Kissoon held up placards that said among other things that the `Opposition Leader is a racist’ and `Jagdeo, Bheri, Nandlall bring disrespect to Parliament’.
The coalition of the 1823 Parade Ground Monument was formed to lobby for the placing of the memorial to the 1823 slave uprising on Parade Ground as opposed to its present location opposite Camp Ayanganna and bordered by the seawall.
The movement also addresses other issues.
In a press release last week, the movement said it was picketing Freedom House against the appointment of Jagdeo as Leader of the Opposition as the “Opposition leader speaks for all Guyanese and Mr Jagdeo while on the election campaign trail and at other fora has by his utterances informed us that he is a racist (and) thus cannot speak for all Guyanese”.
It charged that he has also shown disregard of womanhood, and would not be able represent the women in our society.
The group also targeted former Attorney Gen-eral Anil Nandlall saying he is unfit to take a seat in Parliament.
Referring to an infamous phone conversation last year with a Kaieteur News reporter, the press release charged that Nandlall issued what in any other jurisdiction would have been deemed a terrorist threat.
It added that he has in the past shown his propensity to disregard the sanctity of womanhood, referring again to aspects of the conversation with the reporter.
It also cited former Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran who it noted even the Donald Ramotar administration fired for his “obnoxious behaviour to women”
It also complained against former Local Government Minister, Ganga Persaud.
Meanwhile, in a statement on the picket, the PPP said Jagdeo’s “re-entry into active politics and more so to the National Assembly has received… overwhelming support from Guyanese at home and abroad.”
It said that this latest public display by the “usual suspects is laughable, especially with the many grave human rights violations taking place under the hands of the David Granger-led de facto government.”
It asked why the protesters were turning a blind eye to what it said was the arbitrary dismissal of over 2000 Amerindians without any benefits and or justification.
The new government has said this community support officer programme functioned to gain votes for the PPP/C.
The PPP said the protesters were also “oblivious to the plight of hundreds of public servants who have been summarily dismissed, and continue to be dismissed from their jobs, because they are perceived as PPP supporters.
The arbitrary removal of the $10,000 cash grant for each child (in) the public school system, a programme which goes to the heart of tackling poverty, appears to be of no interest to the malcontents.”
