A protest by sugar workers outside of President David Granger office on February 25 was met with what seemed to the GAWU to be a coordinated by the security forces to attempt to minimize the protest activity. Prior to the commencement of the exercise, it was observed, that all the streets around the Ministry of the Presidency complex were barricaded and manned by a large number of police officers including what appeared to be a quite a few senior officers. Officials of the Union were told by the officers that the Ministry of the Presidency was a deemed restricted area and the protesters would not be allowed to stage their picketing exercise in close proximity to the complex. When we asked about who ordered such an elaborate exercise, we were met with silence.
The restriction activity which inconvenienced traffic saw scores of police officers and a number of police vehicles being involved in, essentially, restricting the workers protest. This is, indeed, a disheartening and unwelcome feature of our times as it seems the security apparatus of the State are being utilized to prevent the voices and concerns of our people from being appropriately expressed. Certainly, in our view, the unusually large security presence we contend was unnecessary and clearly uncalled for. Moreover, it required the many officers having to take time away from their substantive jobs to keep an eye of protestors who were legitimately seeking to enjoy their constitutional Freedom or Expression. The seeming fact that such actions are being pursued by the powers-that-be is something that should send shivers down the spine of all right-thinking and democratically-minded Guyanese.
Of course, the watchmen responsibilities by members of the Guyana Police Force comes, at the same time, where there is general consensus that criminality is on the increase. Certainly, we share, that the officer’s time could have been better spent protecting citizens and preventing and/or upsetting criminal plans and activities. We believe that at a time when school children, the elderly, and all other strata of Guyanese find themselves as victims of criminality, the massive police presence for a peaceful workers protest can be seen as unusual.
As a result of the restrictions put in place by the security forces, the workers protests were confined to Croal Street. Some of the protestors were made to stand in the narrow parapet that runs parallel to the canal on the northern end of that street. Hadn’t they not been careful they could have well found themselves in the canal.
We saw what transpired as yet another attempt to still the workers voiced who have confronted assault after assault by the incumbent Administration. Indeed, in our view the large security operation was not required since at no time did the protesters pose any threat whatsoever and, therefore, the extraordinary and excessive measures were uncalled for altogether. Of course, the workers presence outside of the President’s office was appropriate considering that they and the Union have been told that their call for retroactive payments for 2019 has to be addressed by the Granger Administration.
