Jagdeo says opposition protest “failed miserably” to affect his Linden outreach

Last Updated on Tuesday, 4 August 2026, 22:06 by Writer

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo Tuesday night refused to give into opposition demands for him to exit Watooka House in Linden and address protesters’ concerns, and he said the “noise” did not affect people from turning out to the day-long government outreach that he led.

“It didn’t deter the large number of people who showed up here today. They were hoping that people would boycott coming to this activity. They failed miserably. People just ignored all that they had to say,” he said in his first comment to a section of the media in months.

Mr Jagdeo departed Watooka House at approximately 7:46 p.m. Tuesday under visibly tighter security, without giving into all-day demands by the main opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) for him to address a number of concerns.

They included the failure of the regional executive officer of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) to call another meeting of the regional council to internally elect their chairman and vice chairman after previously tied votes.

They also wanted Mr Jagdeo to respond to their beliefs that the five-member Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima ferry tragedy was mired in bias in favour of the government due its composition and unilateral development of the terms of reference.

The opposition also wanted to hear the Vice President’s response to their call for sole-sourcing rather than extended competitive procurement of a company to salvage the ferry that sank on July 18, 2026.

Also being demanded are the resignations of ministers Juan Edghill and Deodat Indar who have responsibilities for the maritime sector.

Protesters approached Mr Jagdeo as he was entering his vehicle and chanted slogans.

Uniformed police and presidential bodyguards trotted behind his vehicle as one of his security detail unfolded a bulletproof shield just near the area where Mr Jagdeo was sitting.

After protesters pushed down police barriers and entered the Watooka House compound, marine police and the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard as well as a lorry of soldiers were seen in the area.

But Mr Jagdeo maintained that, “I’m happy that they failed”.

For his part, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed said, “VP Jagdeo after hiding from the people all day decided to abscond without speaking to the residents of Linden. He thought he could wait us out but instead he had to run like the coward he is.”

Mr Mohamed called on Mr Jagdeo to instruct the REO to convene the meeting to elect the regional chairman of Region 10. “This is not democracy; this is dictatorship,” he said.

The Opposition Leader thanked APNU and WIN representatives for participating in the protest.

“Everyone stood their ground to fight for the rights of the people of this country and this is a victory for us today. We could have entered that building today,” he said.

APNU parliamentarian Sharma Solomon deemed Mr Jagdeo’s outreach a “masquerade” because there are offices in Linden that those people have to return to.

“As a collective opposition, we have demonstrated that the issues are bigger than even this government and Edghill and Indar must go,” he said.

APNU parliamentarian Sherod Duncan added that “it was a privilege to be here today with the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition stood up here today and the government cowered.”