Opposition Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and Member of Parliament Anil Nandlall on Sunday in Paramaribo, Suriname met with hundreds of Guyanese, including the families of those who perished at the hands of pirates recently. Also in attendance were several survivors of the attacks.
The families and the survivors explained in great detail the horrors that they have endured at the hands of the criminals and expressed great fear that these atrocities would be repeated unless the perpetrators were arrested and brought to justice.
Jagdeo who is also the General Secretary for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) expressed condolences on behalf of his Party to relatives of those who perished, and expressed the Party’s solidarity with all those affected by the tragedy.
He described the attacks as acts of terrorism, and called upon the Governments of Guyana and Suriname to work collaboratively and swiftly in addressing these horrific incidents fully and comprehensively. He also urged that the full force of the law be used to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The former President emphasised that these were exceptionally criminal acts which required an exceptional response from the Government of Guyana and not the lukewarm, run-of-the-mill approach thus far adopted.
The Opposition Leader also committed that the PPP would do all that it could, both in and out of Parliament, to assist, including working with the Government to bring reprieve to this situation.
Former Attorney General Nandlall, who spoke at the meeting as well, also condemned the horrendous attacks, and pointed out that these were appropriate cases for Government to use “special prosecutors” to prosecute those charged in an effort to secure convictions.
Another public meeting with a different set of affected persons is scheduled to take place today at another location in Suriname.
