Volda Lawrence apologises to security guard in fracas with Simona Broomes

Last Updated on Wednesday, 11 July 2018, 0:14 by Denis Chabrol

Vice Chairperson of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Volda Lawrence has apologised to a security guard who said he was locked up by police for 16 hours for allegedly abusing Junior Minister of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes.

“Tonight I met young Josh Rambarran a security guard at New Thriving Restaurant Providence, who told me a story about what happened to him on Sunday last. According to him, he was wrongfully arrested and detained for 16 hours. From the bottom of my heart I apologised to him and said I was sorry. Humility and wisdom are character traits we must always ask of our Creator,” Lawrence said on her official Facebook Page.

Lawrence later told Demerara Waves Online News that “I apologised on my own behalf. As a fellow citizen, I was touched with the ordeal described and felt I had to to apologise to the young man.” Lawrence, who is also Minister of Public Health, could not say “at this time” what the PNCR or government planned to do.

Broomes has remained silent on the fracas at New Thriving Restaurant’s parking lot, Providence, East Bank Demerara, despite an outcry on Social Media and calls for her to apologise to the two guards.

Available surveillance video does not her support her accusation that one of the guards, Robert Goodluck, cocked a shotgun and pointed it at her.

Broomes is actively campaigning for Joseph Harmon to be elected PNCR Chairman next month over Lawrence and incumbent Chairman, Basil Williams.

The Guyana Police Force has said that both parties were “aggressive to each other”. In the video footage, Broomes is seen removing traffic cones in an area that the guards had reportedly told her and her driver was prohibited for parking.

The video also shows the vehicle driving over the cones to park in the area.

Lawrence was recently in Region Three- West Demerara/ Essequibo Islands- regarded as Harmon’s stomping ground, to woo support for election to the chairmanship.