Opposition protesters greet PM Nagamootoo at Whim village

Last Updated on Saturday, 5 September 2015, 19:47 by GxMedia

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo was Saturday afternoon greeted in his home village of Whim, Corentyne by a group of anti-government protesters who held placards attacking him and his government.

Under the watchful eyes of senior and junior police officers, the more than 20 persons let known their positions which are almost identical to the main opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

The placards read “Moses betrayed Whim,” “Moses is a disgrace to Whim,” “Moses want to control the media,” and “Whim rejects Moses.”

Lloyd ‘Boy Blue’ Douglas, one of the estimated 30 protesters told Demerara Waves Online News that he was outside the Whim Cricket Ground where the Nagamootoo is expected to be the main speaker at a community meeting because “Moses tell the people of this country that freedom of the press will always continue and he was one of the people in the days of the PPP struggle for democracy and freedom betrayed the entire country, sell the rights off to the APNU+AFC, a government that was installed twenty eight years and that government understands how to rule by the iron fist.

The Prime Minister has been at the centre of a controversy over his alleged political interference in the running of the State-owned Guyana Chronicle newspaper and his desire to see the government being treated in a positive light by that “government-owned newspaper.” Nagamootoo has dismissed those charges. and insisted that as a Guyanese he has a right to express an opinion.

Another protester expressed concern that the four-month old APNU+AFC-led administration was misusing taxpayers monies, a charge that the coalition had leveled against the then PPP-Civic administration. “But this change that they are, doing is dividing the country and taking away bread from poor-man mouth.

Like the PPP, she expressed concern that five Regional ‎Executive Officers have been fired by the government because of their perceived affiliation with the opposition party and one of them has been replaced in Region Six by Dr Ramyya. “Now they are putting an REO who is AFC+APNU to run the region who has no qualification so tell me what our country is coming to,” said Sherryann Beharry

The woman was also upset that the government has scrapped the GUY$10,000 annual school grant, and water and electricity susbsidies to pensioners. “We are fighting for the people. We want back our country to run right.”

Nagamootoo, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan and the Region Six Regional Executive Officer and attendees appeared undisturbed by the peaceful protest.

They held small group discussions with attendees ahead of the public meeting