AFC MP alleges “disrespect” by Welfare Officer at Hostel
Alliance for Change (AFC) Member of Parliament Eula Marcello has brought to the attention of the media the “disrespectful behaviour” of a Welfare Officer at the Amerindian Hostel who had her escorted off the premises.
AFC MP, Eula Marcello
The AFC wants the staff at the Amerindian Hostel to bear in mind that the facility is there for all Amerindian people and everyone must be treated with courtesy and respect. According to Marcello, that is not what is happening at the moment. Marcello told the media that she went to the Hostel last week to visit a relative who was there with his ailing child. The child, she said, was suffering from a facial tumour which was causing an eye to bulge. She said her relatives were at the Hostel since January, seeking medical attention. The MP said her family member expressed dissatisfaction with the length of time the child was forced to wait for medical attention as the child’s condition was getting worse. She said that during her conversation with the worried father, a female at the Hostel approached her and started to hurl loud and aggressive remarks. This individual identified herself as a Welfare Officer. At one point, where Marcello called a female colleague to inform her of what was happening, the Welfare Officer reportedly called the guards to escort the MP out of the compound. According to Marcello, even as she was being taken out of the compound the Welfare Officer continued to shout that she had no right being there. Marcello is saying that the administration of the Hostel has to make it policy that “no member of staff should discriminate and abuse Amerindians whenever they visit the Hostel or are forced to reside there for a while.” She said this sort of conduct must be condemned and persons guilty of such behaviour must be disciplined. The MP pointed out that Amerindians are forced to stay at the Hostel because most of them would be seeking services in Georgetown that they cannot access in their villages, such as medical services and they have no relative that they can stay at while in Georgetown. She said she was shocked and totally disappointed at the way a staffer at the hostel would treat a Member of Parliament and make her look like a criminal. “I can only assume that the ordinary Amerindians face worse and are made to suffer even more degrading treatment. While Amerindians are brought to Georgetown to join picket lines, little is being done to ensure that they do not receive ill treatment at the hands of the staff and are taken advantage of because of their circumstances.” (Abena Rockcliffe)