New York Attorney General to rally support to lobby Biden administration about Guyanese concerns

Last Updated on Sunday, 30 October 2022, 21:23 by Denis Chabrol

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Sunday vowed to mobilise support among colleague Democratic Attorneys General countrywide to ask the Federal government to probe a series of allegations levelled against the Guyana government.

“I again, along with my Democratic Attorneys General across the country will be calling upon DOJ (Department of Justice) as well as the Biden administration to look into the allegations that have been put forward this evening,” she said to loud applause at the meeting which also struck a tone of being a pro-Democratic election campaign event.

The allegations included maladministration, racial discrimination and extra-territorial application of cyber crime laws to go after critics.

She made known her position known after hearing a litany of concerns at a Town Hall meeting of Guyanese in Brooklyn, New York that was organised by the Rickford Burke-led Caribbean Guyana Institute of Democracy (CGID).

She stressed the  right to free speech, freedom of the press and addressing racism, discrimination and class struggles. Addressing the predominantly Afro-Guyanese audience, she rallied them to send  a clear message to Guyana that they would not tolerate racism, corruption, undemocratic practices, and electoral malpractices.

At the conclusion of Mr Burke’s address and in other remarks, he urged the more than 500 attendees to vote for the Democratic party candidates, especially Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke,  in midterm elections to ensure the Republicans do not gain control. “You guys want a Republican as Governor You want a Republican as Attorney General? I don’t mean for this programme to be political but we have to put people in office that will protect us so that when we have issues like this where we’re being targeted with transnational repression crimes, they can apply the law to ensure that people, whether in or out of this country, don’t violate the law,” he said.

Touching briefly on the rapidly growing oil and gas sector, Mr Burke said there is a direct political link between the US elections and the distribution of wealth in Guyana. “Only the United States government has the leverage to make sure we have equitable governance in Guyana and so we have to make sure we tell our relatives all across this country…you have to elect elected officials who would represent our interest and ensure that we have a foreign policy that is favourable to us, all of us as Guyanese because we wouldn’t have this forum if we had elected officials who didn’t care about this community ,” he said.

With at least two wanted bulletins having been issued for Mr Burke by the Guyana Police Force, the New York Attorney General warned the Guyana government  anyone who harms him would be held accountable. “The United States will not tolerate racism in Guyana or any other country and I also want the officials to know that if any harm or anyone on this dais or anyone in this room, they’ll have to be answers. We would immediately demand answers and I can tell you that someone will be held accountable for those actions,” Ms James said.

In a pre-recorded video message, Mr Jeffries, the Chairman of the Democratic caucus,  told the meeting that the struggle should be unrelenting against racism as well as other problems since 2020. “I look forward to continuing to work with you to make sure that we address the challenges that your family members and friends and fellow countrymen in Guyana are confronting as a result of the situation that they have faced over the last two years. Together, I am confident that we can come up with solutions and make progress to address the challenges down in Guyana and all across the world including right here in the United States of America,” he said.

The Guyana government has on more than one occasion dismissed accusations of racial and political discrimination against Afro-Guyanese. So far the Irfaan Ali-led administration has been unable to secure a meeting with Congressman Jeffries to share its perspective.

Also addressing the meeting were Retired Assistant Police Commissioner and former Chairman of the Police Service Commission Paul Slowe, Chartered Accountant Nigel Hinds, youth activist Jason Benjamin,  Chairman of the North American Region of the People’s National Congress Reform Errol Lewis as well as other state officials and senior officers of the New York Police Department.

Mr Lewis promised that the PNCR’s North American Region, which has 800 members, would be engaged in lobbying efforts next year. He appealed for unity t0 “bring forward the change that is necessary in the Cooperative Republic Guyana.”  He added his voice to the call for Guyanese to vote for Democrats regardless of whether they do not like any of the candidates.