By Staff Writer
While the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) claims to be looking out for the best interest of Afro-Guyanese, it does not take the side of those Black-owned businesses in the United States facing boycott calls from activists there chummy with the party.
In fact, the PNCR Leader, Aubrey Norton said that the two overseas-based Guyanese activists, Mark Benschop and Rickford Burke are within their rights to call for a boycott of Afro-Guyanese businesses in the United States of America who welcomed and embraced Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali during a recent visit. Norton said that the two activists should not be labeled as “villains” without “looking at the wider political struggle” at home.
The PNCR Leader added that there is disproportionate development in Guyana with “friends, family and cronies that are of the same ethnicity” of government ministers being the major beneficiaries of Guyana’s oil wealth.
He said that because of this, he understands the frustration abroad and is sympathetic to the calls for boycott of business abroad, whose Black owners have chosen to embrace the president rather than give him the cold shoulder for alleged government-imposed atrocities against Afro-Guyanese at home.
He also spoke about “trumped up” charges against Afro-Guyanese including former Health Minister, Volda Lawrence and PNCR Elections Scrutineer, Carol Joseph. Norton did not get into details about the nature of the charges but was keen to note their ethnicity as the supposed reason behind the charges. The two officials, however, along with several others, were dragged before the courts for their alleged role in the attempted rigging of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections in favour of the then-incumbent PNCR-led A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC).
Norton further justified calls for boycott, noting that justice remains elusive in the police-involved killing of two Afro-Guyanese men: Dartmouth, Essequibo businessman, 29-year-old Orin Boston back in September 2021, and Haslington, East Coast Demerara youth, 23-year-old Quindon Bacchus on June 10, 2022. Norton cited these unresolved matters as proof of subjugation of Afro-Guyanese by a police force that should be independent but is controlled by government whose ministers and support base comprise mainly of Indo-Guyanese.
However, back in July 2022, Lance Corporal Kristoff DeNobrega was charged with the murder of Bacchus. Two of his colleagues, Lance Corporal Thurston Simon and newly promoted Cadet Officer Dameion McLennon were also faced with charges for obstruction of justice based on the allegation that they tried to cover up the way Bacchus was killed. Back in January 2022, Sherwin Peters, a police constable attached to the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), was charged with shooting and killing Boston at his home during an operation.
“Boycott as a tool”
Norton noted that boycott is merely a tool in political advocacy and even accused the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) of resorting to it in the past.
“The government is not treating us good; boycott is one of the tools that we have to use to achieve our objectives,” Norton said.
Mark Benschop, one of the activists behind the call, said that Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo had in the past, called for the boycotting of media houses.
Back in October 2015, Jagdeo made an appeal to his supporters to boycott newspapers that, according to him, were out to get the PPP/C.
“Please ensure that our people don’t buy newspapers where the sole purpose of the newspaper is to destroy your party,” he said.
While the PNCR membership appears to be in support of the call for boycott, there is one among them who disagrees.
Member of Parliament (MP) and Public Accounts Commitee (PAC) Chairman, MP Jermaine Figueira recently issues a strop rebuke, saying that boycotting “we own people is just plain stupid”.
“Boycotting Guyanese businesses, “we own” people in a foreign land is just plain stupid. How is that going to achieve anything good? We have hundreds of foreign-owned supermarkets popping up in every part of Guyana and no Guyanese is calling for a boycott of their businesses so why the self-hate and intended hurt on ourselves?” Figueira questioned.
When asked today about his views on these comments, Norton said that Figueira is free to make statements in his personal capacity, even if those views run contrary to those of the PNCR.
