| Several persons last evening held a candlelight vigil in front of State House on Main Street, as part of their ongoing movement for “justice and compensation” for the three Lindeners, who lost their lives and those who were injured when Police opened fire during a protest at Linden against electricity tariff hikes.Present at last night’s vigil were representatives from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), the Alliance for Change, and several social activists including Frederick Kissoon.The three-hour vigil which started at 07:00hrs attracted about 50 persons and according to Kissoon, the vigil is indefinite until certain demands are accepted by the government.He said that they are not only fighting against the electricity rate hikes but also for justice and compensation for those who lost their lives, and for the Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee to be charged with murder.At the vigil, persons were shouting “Rohee must go, Rohee must go,” “We want justice, we want answers,” “the Hone Affairs Minister must go back to school.”Kaieteur News understands that the vigils will be held at night, while Lindeners would be protesting during the day until their demands are met.And scores gathered Sunday evening at Parliament building also in solidarity with Linden during its “dark time.”The vigil saw the presence of some prominent citizens including Attorney at law Christopher Ram and Working People Alliance (WPA) executive Dr. David Hinds as well as members of Youth Coalition for Transformation (YCT).With their candles erected, the group sang hymns and reminded passersby that Linden “should not have to stand alone during this struggle.”Frederick Kissoon, who was also as Sunday’s vigil,Cheap Wholesale Jerseys, commented that the “horrible ordeal”, which left three dead, cannot be overlooked and he and other concerned citizens’ pledge their continued support.Kissoon said that the call for the removal of the Minister of Home Affairs must be inflexible. He noted that the reverberating demand in Linden signals that there will be no movement until their calls are responded to.Asked if he thinks the response towards such a call will be different from those before, Kissoon said that “there is no guarantee,China Jerseys Cheap, but one must not be deterred.”Kissoon further noted that the Private Sector Commission (PSC) only seeks negotiation with the opposition when the government is not in the driving seat of “whatever dispute,” and urged that the opposition ignore calls for meetings with the body at this time.Faced with the question of if Linden should have lost all empathy since the violence and looting, Attorney at Law Christopher Ram said that “our presence out here says different; the leadership in Linden has condemned those actions.”He said that from his understanding of the situation,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, the people of Linden are only seeking justice and do not support any looting or violence.Ram said that the killings cannot be justified and such could have been avoided had the government been open to negotiation.Asked whether Linden should have been faced with a hike in electricity tariffs, Ram cited remarks from the Finance Minister’s budget speech that it is a progressive realignment of the electricity rates, stating that it is a wrong benchmark to use since GPL is a “high wastage” supplier.Further, Ram stressed that the 800% increase is unconscionable. “That can’t be a progressive realignment… the society just will not be able to pay. If the government wants progression, there should be an immediate withdrawal of the hiked rates announced. There then should be a progressive increase over a period of time,” Ram stated emphatically.He also opined, that the monies saved from the “budget cuts” should be made use of towards the economic development of Linden “rather than wasting money on a Marriott or airport project that we don’t need.”Ram said that the Army’s removal of the bodies simply doesn’t “smell well.” He said that that move justifies raised suspicion.Questioned whether he agrees with the call for Prime Minister Sam Hinds to resign,Brian Campbell Jersey, Ram said that the call is well justified as Hinds is the representative for Linden in parliament and the Minister with portfolio for electricity, and “what has happened in Linden is a failure of both.”“Time is of the essence for the President to visit Linden; the longer he takes the more difficult it will be for a solution. Had he responded to the threat of a five-day shutdown, there would have been no killings,” Ram said.Dr. David Hinds said that he maintained his call that the opposition should not engage in talks with the government at the tripartite level. He said that the opposition, from all indications, doesn’t agree with his position. However, “if a government murders, you do not go the next day to sit and talk about anything.”“Until someone is charged for murder or we at least see the removal of those who were involved in the brutal act,Wholesale Jerseys, we should have no contact with that government… Murder should result in justice.”Hinds said that he agrees with the calls for investigations, however, “those things take time we have to do something to bring peace now… but this government seems callous.”Hinds asserted that he thinks it is too late for a presidential visit to Linden.“The people are saying that they called him before the severe trauma but he didn’t come… remove the officials involved and that will be the basis for negotiation. Until such time I advise Linden to continue its struggle with strength and faith.”Hinds also said that it should be noted in relation to the recent looting in Linden, that it was residents of the community who went in search of the looters and turned them over to the police. “We have to make that very clear since people are running away with the sold perception that there is lawlessness going on in Linden.The people have blocked the streets and so on but never encouraged looting.”“We are here tonight to stand in solidarity with Linden for our fallen brothers, we stand heartbroken. “We are not brothers in blood, but we are brothers though the body of Christ,” said Doreen Lynch of YCT“The shooting of those people was a violation of human rights,Cheap NFL Jerseys,” said member of the Human Rights Association Kenneth Charles.“Lindeners expressing their issues with the electricity hikes in a peaceful manner, which is their right as human beings, should not have ended in the loss of lives and we will stand with them to the end.” |
