The Liberty and Justice Party was all set for its official launch on January 12, 2019, at the Umana Yana under the theme “Shaping Guyana’s Future,” but the Party has since been informed that the venue is no longer available even though it is paid for already.
The Party, which is being fronted by former Chair of the National Toshaos Council, Lenox Shuman, on Tuesday revealed via his Facebook page that the venue was “reserved, paid for, confirmed and booked.”
The Umana Yana is under the control of Culture Department, which falls under the Ministry of Social Cohesion, headed by Dr George Norton.
Shuman, who is the Party’s Presidential Candidate, said he was informed that there is a “conflicting booking” shortly after he posted the details of the launch on Monday.
The launch was set for 17:00hrs while the official programme starts at 18:00hrs.
“This is no doubt an attempt to stifle our Constitutional Right to political freedom,” Shuman said, noting that “the implications of this cannot be overstated.”
“Guyana is in more of a desperate state than most think,” he added.
He said if the matter is not resolved by the Government of Guyana who has ownership of the Umana Yana, he will move to the Court.
“I ask, with the quantity of legal battles being funded by the tax payers for arrogance of Government officials, is this value for our tax dollars? Are we simply paying taxes to stifle our freedoms and suppress our Constitutional rights?”
News Room reached out to the Department of Culture for and its Public Relations Officer promised to return a call with more information.
The Liberty and Justice Party, commonly referred to as the Indigenous party, was formed in 2018, as a result of disappointment with the way successive Governments have addressed issues faced by Indigenous peoples.
Shuman, however, assured that his Party will be representing every race as it looks to solve issues relating to crime, illiteracy and others.
