Jagdeo tells Granger it’s time for “mother of all inquiries”

Last Updated on Friday, 4 November 2016, 17:25 by Denis Chabrol

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday challenged President David Granger to bring on the mother of all inquiries into periods of violence in Guyana.

“We should do the mother of all inquiries and then examine the role of individuals in that period,”  the former Guyanese leader said in debating President David Granger’s latest address to the Parliament.

Quoting a section of a book by Working People’s Alliance (WPA) co-founder, Eusi Kwayana, Jagdeo said the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) was involved in the violent crime spree by heavily armed gangs in Buxton from 2002 to about 2008. “There are many other views but APNU or PNC does not come out well. In fact they were a contributor,” said Jagdeo.

President Granger, in and out of office, has promised that a probe would be held into extra-judicial killings.

Touching on the 4 million pound sterling Security Sector Reform Programme (SSRP) that should have been funded by the United Kingdom government, Jagdeo said he scrapped the deal because there had been problems with local ownership. He also said his administration had been opposed to British soldiers conducting live firing in western Guyana near an Amerindian reserve and the western border.

In his address to the Parliament on October 13, 2016, President Granger ha referred to that period as the “Troubles” when there was intermix of violence, narco-trade and politically inspired instability. Among the 1,317 murders were those of pro-Black activist and Ronald Waddell, Agriculture Minister, Satyadeow Sawh and his siblings.  “The evidence of the impact of the man-made criminal crisis is still visible. The damage is most manifest in the demoralisation of the public and security services, the erosion of public trust and the lowering of the ‘quality of life’,” he said.

The President had also made veiled reference to then Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy being named in a New York court as the government minister who had authorized the purchase of geo-locating cellular phone tapping computer.

A device of that nature, a high-powered rifle and hand guns had been found in possession of Shaheed ‘Roger’ Khan and several cohorts by a Guyana Defence Force patrol.

Before Khan had been caught in Suriname months later and sent to New York (via Trinidad) where he was convicted and jailed for cocaine trafficking, he had publicly taken credit for avoiding the PPPC-administration from being toppled.