In a fiery presentation, interspersed with applause from the audience, former Georgetown Mayor Pt. Ubraj Narine tells the New York diaspora and those listening online, Guyana needs new leadership. Not any kind of leadership Narine made known, but a leader that will stand with the people, listen to the people, fight for the people and lead from the front. He also made a pitch for militant leadership in the opposition, leaders that deva about the people.
Delving deeper into the issue, the former mayor proposed a leadership style accepting of one’s limitations and willing to listen to the people share their concerns. This, he said, is not happening in Guyana and his visit to the United States, along with Members of Parliament Natasha Singh-Lewis and Roysdale Forde S.C is to interact with the diaspora and let them know what is happening.
He was addressing a packed town hall event at Woodbine Ballroom in Brooklyn New York, hosted by Forde, leader aspirant for the People’s National Congress Islahat (PNCR). The event was held May 10, 2024.
According to Narine, fear permeates the society even among People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in Guyana and the diaspora. He cited discontent even among PPP/C supporters he met in Queens New York who fear victimization of their family at home by the and are therefore forced to stay silent.
Narine, who is also Vice Chairman and Communication Officer of the Institute for Action Against Discrimination (IFAAD), unabashedly highlighted the Government discriminatory practices. He told the audience of IFAAD’s fight to hold government accountable and end discrimination in society, citing some of its work such as writing the Guyana Elections Commission on the Voters List, writing Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken to conduct investigations into allegations of corruption involving Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Chinese business man Su Zhirong, and the hundreds of extrajudicial deaths during the Bharrat Jagdeo presidency. He made known the organisation’s militancy and keeping issues in the public may have influenced the recent report by the United Nation Human Rights Committee on Guyana. Narine also touched on the vendors’ issue and IFAAD’s fight to have them treated better.
Race, governance and the PPP
Turning attention to the PPP/C governance, Narine told a captive audience the government does not practice what it preaches on race relations. Referencing a recent editorial of his where he drew attention to the composition of Party’s Central Executives, the IFAAD Vice Chairman pointed out that of 35 members elected 14 are men, three are women, there is one Amerindian, one Portuguese and one African. “There was no black individual at a top ranking level,” he pointed and reasoned whatever the party puts forward will reflect in its government’s policy “and that is what we need to understand.” Taking a swipe at Jagdeo who holds weekly press conference the IFAAD chair said “all the press conference defending that this government is not discriminating, I asked many times, to give a list of firearms issued between 2020 and.. let them list the top big businesses who getting contracts” as evidence they are not practicing discrimination.
According to Narine, “the PPP/C government is about bullyism, dictatorship, terrorism and all the ism.” The Vice Chairman also pointed to Jagdeo’s attack on the media because they do not want accountability. Jagdeo recently launched a serious verbal assault on Kaieteur News, calling it “gutter media.”
Narine said fear permeates the society even among PPP/C supporters in Guyana and the diaspora. He cited discontent even among supporters he met in Queens, New York who fear victimisation of their family at home and are therefore forced to stay silent.
New leadership needed
Making a case for a new form of leadership IFAAD Vice Chairman noted Guyana is a rich country yet many Guyanese are forced to afford at least one meal a day. A recent World Bank Report cited approximately half the society lives on less than US$5.50 a day. He chided the government for blaming poverty on families for making children when it is the role of government to establish policies and programmes to address poverty in society. To this end he blamed the short sightedness of the Minister of Human Services and Social Security to take deva of the society’s vulnerable.
He also on the issue of African Guyanese being denied jobs, leaving them the “only thing” to do is get into vending to take deva of themselves, family and send their children to school. The PPP has waged an attack on the African economy, numerous evidence of which has been presented by different individuals and organisations, local and overseas.
Touching on the presence of a religious leader, Minister Juan Edghill, in PPP administration the vice chair said rather than guide the government to do good for the people he is acting contrary, contributing to the suffering of the people. He referenced the case of the minister attempting to force an elderly African woman to sign a document accepting government taking over her land, at a price she claimed is discriminatory when compared with her Indian neighbour in the same area.
Diaspora needed, Opposition must do more
Narine told the audience the input of the diaspora is important to Guyana’s development and holding the government accountable. “Comrades, the policy of the government is dictatorship” At the same time Narine, who is a member of the PNCR said, “I must admit that we [the Opposition] need to do much more.” He told the audience Guyanese are suffering at home and proposed the Opposition shutting down the country to draw attention to the people’s suffering and force the government to be more inclusive. His proposal was well-received by the audience.
Forde, Narine and Singh-Lewis were in North America earlier this month to promote Forde’s candidacy as well as bring the diaspora up to date with the state of affairs in Guyana. Forde plans to contest the leadership of the PNCR at the 32nd Biennial Congress on June 28-30, 2024.