Residents removing the flagpole on Thursday night after the town’s programme had been blocked by the police.
Feb 25 2018
The Corriverton Town Council is expected to meet tomorrow to discuss the way forward after police stopped their flag-raising programme allegedly because the police had not granted permission.
Senior municipal officials have however argued that permission had never been necessary for this programme in the past and the action by the police was politically directed.
Mayor of the Corentyne, Berbice town, Krishnand Jaichand, today told Stabroek News that the council will meet to discuss “what actions need to be taken”.
Jaichand questioned whether the police would have acted in the same manner had the Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, who was scheduled to be part of the programme, actually attended. He asked, “Had the minister attended and spoken would the police have taken the same action? Would they have stopped the proceedings? Would they have claimed that permission was not taken?”
The mayor further stressed that these are questions that need to be considered in order to properly understand the situation that unfolded on Thursday evening at Republic Square.
Jaichand had said that the police’s action on Thursday evening was a first for Corriverton.
The police action included the forcible removal of the chairperson of the flag-raising programme from the stage. The residents who had gathered were incensed.