Opposition parties protest at VP's Linden outreach and vow to continue wherever Government officials go

The Joint Opposition parties staged a loud protest at the Watooka Guest House in Linden today as Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, was hosting a Government outreach. The protesters are demanding a full and thorough investigation into the MV Barima tragedy and the resignations of the two subject Ministers. The Opposition parties said the Government is bent on operating as if its business as usual in Guyana, when more than 100 persons lost their lives in the ferry tragedy. The President has appointed a Commission of Inquiry into the ferry tragedy. The Protesters are also demanding the Regional Executive Officer calls a meeting of the Regional Democratic Council so that the elected Councilors can elect a Regional Chairman and Vice Chairman for Region 10. There has been no meeting of the Council since last October when the first attempt at electing the regional officials ended in a tie. The REO has called no other meeting of the Council since then. Before the arrival of the Vice President at the venue for his outreach, the area was already cordoned off with barricades. Once Mr. Jagdeo arrived, he went straight into the outreach along with other Government officials, as the protesters grew in numbers and became louder. The protesters eventually made their way through the barricades, forcing the Police to form a human barricade while blocking their entrance to the meeting area. On the protest line today, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohammed said the Government is taking the people of the country for granted. “The people of Region 10 voted overwhelmingly for WIN and I must represent them, that’s why I am here to ensure this dictatorship Government reconvenes the meeting and instruct their REO so that we can elect our Regional chairman. We will not sit back and allow the Government to ride us, they will be met with protest wherever they go,” the Opposition Leader vowed. Leader of the PNC/R and APNU, Aubrey Norton, was also on the picket line. He said the protest action was inevitable, as citizens are becoming increasingly agitated by the actions of the Government. “I believe that the Government is not responsive to people’s concerns and as a consequence it is riling the people up. You have a situation where the government is totally responsible for what happened but they are going on as if there were three people on the boat. The reality is, that boat was condemned a while, the government brough it back, the forced people to work on it and we have and we have this tragedy and the focus has to be that we have accountability” Mr. Norton said from the picket line. Other political leaders also stated that the Government has been showing an uncaring attitude to the people of the country and their concerns, and must not be allowed to continue with such behaviour. Former Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine also joined Opposition Parliamentarians and residents of Region 10 in the protest, restating calls for accountability following the MV Barima tragedy. “We will chase them out from every community, we will demand justice, Ministers Edghill and Indar must resign, the Guyanese people will not take nonsense any longer,” Narine said. The Opposition parties have vowed to continue their protest action across the country.