Leader of the main opposition party Robert Corbin says that there has been no response to date by Chairman of the Caribbean Community,cheap jerseys, Hubert Ingraham, regarding the letter he had dispatched last month requesting CARICOM’s interventions in Guyana.Presenting the document were PNCR Chairman Winston Murray, General Secretary of the PNCR Oscar Clarke,Cheap NHL Adidas Jerseys, and C.N. Sharma, owner of CNS TV Channel 6.According to Corbin the Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo was not being honest about the true state of affairs in Guyana and he will be organising a multi-stakeholder petition that will be addressed to each CARICOM head.Following his presentation of the letter, Corbin had told media operatives that the document seeks to alert CARICOM leaders of, “What we would consider developing situations in Guyana which has serious implication to stability.”He noted that his party was aware of CARICOM’s role in 1997 to ensure stability in Guyana, “in those circumstances we are trying to behave as responsible as possible and alerting CARICOM of the need to intervene at a time when the constitution of Guyana is being blatantly abused by the president…scant regard for the rule of law.”He noted that it was in this regard he was making the call for CARICOM leaders to have a closer look at the situation in Guyana,Wholesale China Jerseys, given that in can be deemed as unstable and make the relevant interventions.He noted that he did not want to presume a methodology but urged the leaders to carefully consider hosting CARIFESTA in an environment which was not conducive to the spirit of the event, “Unity.”“How can we have an environment of that celebration when in fact it is being used as a political smokescreen to cloud the abuses by the president…CARICOM ought to consider whether these conditions are conducive to such event and in such circumstance they (CARICOM leaders) may want to exert some pressure on our colleague to create the right environment.”The document issued was also copied to the local Head of State.In the letter Corbin noted that as Guyana teetered on the brink in 1997 the institution of CARICOM responded in both a timely and effective manner giving birth to the Herdmanston Accord and the St Lucia Statement. Guyana breathed a sigh of relief.He added that ten years after the inking of those historic documents, it seemed necessary to once again contemplate the exercise of CARICOM’s collective influence in Guyana’s affairs to facilitate an environment of peace and social stability a necessary prerequisite for progress, development and the security of Guyana’s citizens.“In this context, I wish to bring to your attention and the Heads of Government of CARICOM recent unsavoury developments in Guyana in the hope that CARICOM may once again use its collective influence on the President and Government of Guyana to move in a positive direction….This need becomes more urgent in the context of the Region’s recently expressed concern for security; the destabilising impact of the spiralling price of food commodities and the proposed hosting in GUYANA of a major socio-cultural event, namely, CARIFESTA X.”According to Corbin, the continuing dictatorial behaviour and abuse of power by the President and Government of Guyana,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the Government’s continued disregard for the Rule-of-Law and the Constitutional rights of citizens, the insidious use of torture of citizens by the Security forces, and the blatant non-implementation of Agreements solemnly entered into with the Opposition have created conditions which threaten the environment of peace and social and political stability in Guyana today.He, also in the letter sought to document what he called ‘ residential Abuse of Power…Disregard for the Rule of Law and for the Constitutional Rights of Citizens” Corbin.He outlined, “The Integrity Commission has been illegally appointed by the President in breach of Section 3 of the Integrity Commission Act No. 20 of 1997. Attempts to have this matter determined by the Court over the last four years have yielded no results…The Life of the Ethnic Relations Commission was extended in 2006 by the President in violation of Article 212 B of the Guyana Constitution. ..The Government, through the use of agencies of the State, such as the Security Forces,NFL Jerseys From China, has displayed contempt for the Fundamental Rights of citizens as guaranteed by Title I (Articles 139 -154 (a)) of the Constitution and in total disregard for the Rule of Law.”Outlining other examples of breaches Corbin noted “the arrest, detention and subsequent trumped up charges of sedition against Oliver Hinckson who has been refused bail while his case has been repeatedly adjourned; the arbitrary arrest and detention of citizens on various pretexts the common practice being to detain persons late on Friday so that they remain in custody for the weekend and are then released on Monday without any charge being brought; the use of brutal torture by the Security Forces against citizens including, Victor Jones, Patrick Sumner and David Zammett, in contravention of the International Convention Against Torture ratified by the Government; the unlawful destruction of property by the security forces, particularly at Buxton where the sanctity of homes has been violated with impunity, personal property wantonly destroyed and farms have been irreparably damaged and the unlawful killings of citizens by the security forces and the disappearance of others without a trace. The most recent examples of unlawful killing are those of Tyrone Pollard,Wholesale Jerseys, of Lot 81 Buxton Sideline Dam and Donna Herod among others”.According to Corbin, the breaches were compounded by the failure to hold inquests or mount independent investigations into these incidents hence the dire need for a CARICOM intervention |
