Eyes on WPA’s call for “overthrow” of govt- Nandlall

Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 March 2023, 22:08 by Denis Chabrol

Though Guyanese police were yet to question executives of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) about controversial remarks that appear to encourage police and soldiers not to clamp down on anti-government street protests, Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Tuesday interpreted  them as a plot to topple the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration.

“Tacuma Ogunseye went to Buxton Line-top and made one of the most racially provocative, seditious and riotous speech; basically calling for ethnic violence, calling on the armed forces to turn their guns against the government and those who do not look like them, calling for resistance, calling essentially for the overthrow of a democratically elected government,” Mr Nandlall said on his Facebook presentation, “Issues In The News”.

Mr Nandlall’s perspective came hours after WPA Executive Member Tacuma Ogunseye said he was prepared to plead guilty to a charge of treason with explanation. The maximum penalty for treason is death by hanging, and life imprisonment for treason felony.

Up to late Wednesday night, police did not contact Mr Ogunseye or any other WPA Executive Member.

Mr Nandlall said statements such as Mr Ogunseye have led to civil war and genocide in several countries including Kosovo, Rwanda, South Africa, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.

The Attorney General chided the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) for failing to issue a statement about Mr Ogunseye’s utterances but instead spoke out against the procurement of a US$35 million contract to produce high-tech digital identification cards.

Mr Ogunseye, during a public meeting on March 9, 2023 in Buxton, East Coast Demerara said the time had come for Afro-Guyanese to engage in a battle against political and economic domination by the People’s Progressive Party  (PPP). He reasoned that the oil wealth offers an opportunity to narrow the gap between the races.

The WPA is also advocating for executive power sharing after free and fair elections, but already Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has said Guyana is not ready for executive power sharing because there is no trust.