| Opposition Leader, Robert Corbin, says that it is instructive that the Human Rights Report of Guyana, which should have been the subject of consultation with Organisations in Guyana before presentation to the UN, remained a secret document until its presentation to that forum.Speaking at his party’s weekly press briefing yesterday,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, Corbin said that “this fact alone should alert the UN Conference…that the Guyana report should be disregarded and an inquiry conducted by the body.”Pointing out the many recommendations in the report that have been made public, Corbin observed that the United Nations has tremendous experience and a history in imposing sanctions on various countries.“It is not difficult for them to implement certain recommendations which have been applied elsewhere to force the Guyana Government to account,” he added.“Certainly it appears that rather than sanctioning and rapping the knuckles of those in Government they appear to be commended, and that gives the government the impression that they can continue to disregard international opinion and behave in the manner in which they are behaving,” Corbin affirmed. He was referring to the recent international kudos given to Guyana for the Low Carbon Development Strategy presented to the UN and the recent UN award given to President Bharrat Jagdeo.The opposition party’s position is that once the UN and the countries that speak of the abuses mentioned in the report, continue to operate in the way that they are operating, the current administration will feel that it can continue to flout the recommendations put forward.“So we are saying that there is need for them to go further and to take action which we know that they are capable of taking,Cheap Jerseys Store, which have been applied elsewhere, that can force the government to do certain things.”Corbin pointed to the revocation of the visa of then Home Affairs Minister,Wholesale China Jerseys, Ronald Gajraj, after public allegations that he was involved in the infamous “Phantom Squad”, forcing a limited inquiry into his involvement.“While we may have been making a lot of noise here in Guyana,Wholesale Jerseys Online, it was because of a firm position taken by the international community that they were forced to that ‘sham’ and even that did not go to the root of the matter,” said Corbin.He also referred to the Gay McDougall report and subsequent attacks on her personality, and the report of the UN Rapperteur before that which did not change the attitude of the present regime.The Opposition Leader said that over time it would become obvious to the UN and its members that they would have to go further as they have done in other cases to hold the Guyana Government to account.Responding to a media question on the lack of response by the international community and Caricom to the dossier compiled by the Joint Opposition Political Parties, Corbin stated that success in these initiatives does not come overnight.“One must not conclude that the fact that one did not receive a formal reaction from the government or action from Caricom governments, or from the UN,Cheap Wholesale Jerseys, the reports did not have the effects that we expected it to have. What we are seeing now in terms of their response to the human rights documents presented by the government, indicate that they have been reading those reports and those activities of the PNCR and the joint political parties have not been in vain.“That does not mean that we should cease our efforts in this direction. We have to continue these efforts. The road may be long but it has an end.” Corbin concluded.The PNCR leader added however,Wholesale China Jerseys, that his party knows very well from past experience that such calls upon the current regime will be futile unless sanctions are imposed or the Inquiry is conducted by the United Nations itself. The British also know, from their own experience in Guyana, that the Jagdeo Administration only pays lip service to consultation and transparency, he said. |
