Leader of the Opposition APNUAFC Aubrey Norton and a team of top party members last Monday, August 1, 2022, joined the people of New Amsterdam, Berbice in celebrating Emancipation Day.
Also in attendance at the event was President Irfaan Ali, who arrived at the event an hour late and aboard the Guyana Defence Force’s US$10M Bell 412 Helicopter.
The president’s presence was met with protest and rebuke by many in attendance. The Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton and his delegation refused to shake Ali’s hands citing economic marginalization and his politics of domination and control.
According to the Demerarawaves, Mr. Norton alluded to the United States government citing the need for inclusiveness and transparency in Guyana during Ali’s week-long meeting with the State Department and other US government officials.
Norton said he would only speak with the government on condition that the government is making a genuine effort to address concerns facing the Guyanese people. “I want to reassure everyone; once there is inclusiveness and we are getting what we deserve then the basis will be created for cordial relationship with the government but, as it stands, we are not satisfied we are there, Norton shared.
“There has to be a policy to give the most dispossessed people the resources so they can develop, ” said Norton, as he repeated his call for the government to give the Town Councils of New Amsterdam, Linden, and Georgetown the resources they need to develop. “Then is when we start to speak about serious development.”
Norton stated that “Guyana has to be for all Guyanese.” He called on the government to return the funds to the COFONA Band because that “will be a signal of One Guyana”. “I believe that all Guyanese must be treated equally. I believe that there is a place for music, there’s a place for culture and if you’re committed to music, culture, and young people, the responsibility devolves on you to support them,” he said.
President Ali in his address expressed shock and awe at the Opposition’s refusal to shake his hands, calling it disrespectful.
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