At historic PPP/C meeting in former PNC enclave -- Mboya Wood turns tables in Buxton
- APNU supporters came out to heckle, stayed to listen
Written by PARVATI PERSAUD-EDWARDS
Friday, 04 November 2011 05:05
Source - Guyana Chronicle
A well-orchestrated invasion by APNU supporters, some of whom were planted among the PPP supporters who turned out to listen to the speakers at a PPP/C meeting in Buxton yesterday evening, and some of whom had amassed a short distance away with APNU posters before storming the PPP/C meeting with shouts of “We want Granger”, backfired because, first PM Sam Hinds, in his calm, measured, reasonable way encouraged the APNU supporters to listen to the speakers, no matter which party they are supporting, and then rationalize their choices before casting their votes on elections day.
But the star of the evening was undoubtedly Mboya Wood, who quelled the strident hecklers and turned the tables on APNU, which had intended to disrupt the PPP/C meeting – a strategy that backfired when the APNU supporters quietened and began listening intently to first Mboya Wood and then PPP/C Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar as the former gave his reasons for supporting the incumbent party, and the latter outlined the developments so far undertaken by the government, and the projected developments of the incoming government that he will head.
Wood described the mixture of APNU and PPP/C supporters as a beautiful Guyanese mosaic. He encouraged the crowd to be civil, as incivility and contentious behaviour will get no one anywhere, because dialogue with each other as intelligent people who will listen to each other before making choices is the right way to solve problems.
When he had captured the crowd’s attention he related stories of life under the former PNC administration, when Buxtonians suffered the wrath of the PNC right alongside other communities. During those days, Wood recalled, Buxton had no proper infrastructure, no water, “…no proper anything”, and no hope, causing many to join the WPA under Walter Rodney.
According to Wood, those were the days when people were not free to make such choices and his life was near forfeited in planned executions several times. He was also deprived of his living as a contraband trader; and a tertiary education because, after two years at UG, when he was about to commence his mandatory national service, he was warned by a stranger of plans to eliminate him – either by drowning or a purposeful accident, so he escaped to Berbice, where he got a job at Bookers sugar estate.
However, he said Burnham had then stated that his “…steel was sharper now”, and strange people started to shadow his movements; but he was warned not to ride on the public road as plans were afoot to kill him in a staged accident.
When he was eventually cornered, recalled Wood, “two Indian brothers” saved his life.
He pointed to a transition today where David Hinds had joined the APNU configuration, even after Hinds and his fellow WPA member had been jailed by the PNC, while WPA leader Walter Rodney had been allegedly killed by that administration.
Referring to this as a healthy relationship, he posited that he also should be free to join a political party of his choice. “Who dares to tell me that I cannot join the PPP/C?” he thundered, then related a progressive series of incidents that drew him to that party and convinced him that this was the best choice for continued development in the country.
He recalled that, in 2010, during the 170 years Emancipation celebrations, he recognised that the village needed urgent financial and other help, so he emailed fellow Buxtonian, Presidential Advisor Odinga Lumumba, which made his colleagues very angry.
When he was facilitated a meeting with President Bharrat Jagdeo, he articulated the concerns of the Buxtonians, especially a lie that had been peddled that the President had denigrated Buxtonians.
The President denied this charge and challenged Wood to search the media archives and if there is any evidence to be found of his culpability in this regard then he would personally apologise. However, Wood made no such discovery.
He told the President that Buxtonian women had been severely traumatised by the events that had made their community a pariah in the Guyanese society for over eight years; so the President invited Buxtonian single parents to a meeting at the Stadium to resolve their issues and address their problems.
But Wood was not satisfied. He told the President that Buxton needed a complete overhaul, whereupon the former was informed by the President that the help was always there on offer, but was rejected by the village leaders.
So Wood braved those who dissented to this new relationship being formed and invited the President to an historic meeting in Buxton, which was an overwhelming success. Since then, with the Buxtonians themselves opening up their community to exploration of their potential for growth and development, that village has been changing by leaps and bounds for the better.
Wood reminded the Buxtonians that in that first and subsequent visits to that community by the President, every promise made by President Jagdeo and his officers has been kept; and he offered himself to be the intermediary between the community and the PPP/C administration to articulate their concerns and ensure that they are addressed by the Government.
Wood said he was prepared to be the beacon of hope as a representative of Buxtonians and guaranteed that he will be the bridge and represent the community’s concerns to the administration.
He reminded the listeners that when he reached out to President Jagdeo, Buxtonians received that help; and said that he could guarantee that the PPP/C administration under a Donald Ramotar presidency, would continue the development process started under President Jagdeo.
This set the stage for Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar, who outlined to an enraptured audience the developments achieved so far by the PPP/C administration under President Jagdeo’s overwhelmingly successful leadership, and the projected developments that he envisages for the future of the nation.
Other speakers included Presidential Advisor on Governance, Ms Gail Teixeira; Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee; and new member of the PPP/C Joe Hamilton.
Presidential Advisor on empowerment, Odinga Lumumba, chaired the meeting, which eventually bonded APNU supporters and PPP/C supporters in “…a beautiful Guyanese mosaic”, which is an indication that unity in this country can be achieved with the right approach, because, at heart, Guyanese from every walk of life have demonstrated that what is important, essentially, is an improved life and living, which the PPP/C has certainly provided over the years.
As Donald Ramotar said, “If it is good today, it will be better tomorrow.”
- APNU supporters came out to heckle, stayed to listen
Written by PARVATI PERSAUD-EDWARDS
Friday, 04 November 2011 05:05
Source - Guyana Chronicle
A well-orchestrated invasion by APNU supporters, some of whom were planted among the PPP supporters who turned out to listen to the speakers at a PPP/C meeting in Buxton yesterday evening, and some of whom had amassed a short distance away with APNU posters before storming the PPP/C meeting with shouts of “We want Granger”, backfired because, first PM Sam Hinds, in his calm, measured, reasonable way encouraged the APNU supporters to listen to the speakers, no matter which party they are supporting, and then rationalize their choices before casting their votes on elections day.
But the star of the evening was undoubtedly Mboya Wood, who quelled the strident hecklers and turned the tables on APNU, which had intended to disrupt the PPP/C meeting – a strategy that backfired when the APNU supporters quietened and began listening intently to first Mboya Wood and then PPP/C Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar as the former gave his reasons for supporting the incumbent party, and the latter outlined the developments so far undertaken by the government, and the projected developments of the incoming government that he will head.
Wood described the mixture of APNU and PPP/C supporters as a beautiful Guyanese mosaic. He encouraged the crowd to be civil, as incivility and contentious behaviour will get no one anywhere, because dialogue with each other as intelligent people who will listen to each other before making choices is the right way to solve problems.
When he had captured the crowd’s attention he related stories of life under the former PNC administration, when Buxtonians suffered the wrath of the PNC right alongside other communities. During those days, Wood recalled, Buxton had no proper infrastructure, no water, “…no proper anything”, and no hope, causing many to join the WPA under Walter Rodney.
According to Wood, those were the days when people were not free to make such choices and his life was near forfeited in planned executions several times. He was also deprived of his living as a contraband trader; and a tertiary education because, after two years at UG, when he was about to commence his mandatory national service, he was warned by a stranger of plans to eliminate him – either by drowning or a purposeful accident, so he escaped to Berbice, where he got a job at Bookers sugar estate.
However, he said Burnham had then stated that his “…steel was sharper now”, and strange people started to shadow his movements; but he was warned not to ride on the public road as plans were afoot to kill him in a staged accident.
When he was eventually cornered, recalled Wood, “two Indian brothers” saved his life.
He pointed to a transition today where David Hinds had joined the APNU configuration, even after Hinds and his fellow WPA member had been jailed by the PNC, while WPA leader Walter Rodney had been allegedly killed by that administration.
Referring to this as a healthy relationship, he posited that he also should be free to join a political party of his choice. “Who dares to tell me that I cannot join the PPP/C?” he thundered, then related a progressive series of incidents that drew him to that party and convinced him that this was the best choice for continued development in the country.
He recalled that, in 2010, during the 170 years Emancipation celebrations, he recognised that the village needed urgent financial and other help, so he emailed fellow Buxtonian, Presidential Advisor Odinga Lumumba, which made his colleagues very angry.
When he was facilitated a meeting with President Bharrat Jagdeo, he articulated the concerns of the Buxtonians, especially a lie that had been peddled that the President had denigrated Buxtonians.
The President denied this charge and challenged Wood to search the media archives and if there is any evidence to be found of his culpability in this regard then he would personally apologise. However, Wood made no such discovery.
He told the President that Buxtonian women had been severely traumatised by the events that had made their community a pariah in the Guyanese society for over eight years; so the President invited Buxtonian single parents to a meeting at the Stadium to resolve their issues and address their problems.
But Wood was not satisfied. He told the President that Buxton needed a complete overhaul, whereupon the former was informed by the President that the help was always there on offer, but was rejected by the village leaders.
So Wood braved those who dissented to this new relationship being formed and invited the President to an historic meeting in Buxton, which was an overwhelming success. Since then, with the Buxtonians themselves opening up their community to exploration of their potential for growth and development, that village has been changing by leaps and bounds for the better.
Wood reminded the Buxtonians that in that first and subsequent visits to that community by the President, every promise made by President Jagdeo and his officers has been kept; and he offered himself to be the intermediary between the community and the PPP/C administration to articulate their concerns and ensure that they are addressed by the Government.
Wood said he was prepared to be the beacon of hope as a representative of Buxtonians and guaranteed that he will be the bridge and represent the community’s concerns to the administration.
He reminded the listeners that when he reached out to President Jagdeo, Buxtonians received that help; and said that he could guarantee that the PPP/C administration under a Donald Ramotar presidency, would continue the development process started under President Jagdeo.
This set the stage for Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar, who outlined to an enraptured audience the developments achieved so far by the PPP/C administration under President Jagdeo’s overwhelmingly successful leadership, and the projected developments that he envisages for the future of the nation.
Other speakers included Presidential Advisor on Governance, Ms Gail Teixeira; Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee; and new member of the PPP/C Joe Hamilton.
Presidential Advisor on empowerment, Odinga Lumumba, chaired the meeting, which eventually bonded APNU supporters and PPP/C supporters in “…a beautiful Guyanese mosaic”, which is an indication that unity in this country can be achieved with the right approach, because, at heart, Guyanese from every walk of life have demonstrated that what is important, essentially, is an improved life and living, which the PPP/C has certainly provided over the years.
As Donald Ramotar said, “If it is good today, it will be better tomorrow.”
PPP/C Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar addressing the gathering at Buxton
APNU supporters at the PPP/C public meeting last evening