…McCoy denies allegations
…Anand Persaud said he witnessed what took place and saw no assault
By Lisa Hamilton
Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Tabitha Sarabo-Halley has accused Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy of assaulting her on the corridors of the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC) on Wednesday during the consideration of Budget 2021 estimates.
Thus far, Minister McCoy has denied the allegations and both sides of the main political divide tell a different story. According to Sarabo-Halley, McCoy has been verbally taunting her during sittings for some time by making negative comments about her hair, her intelligence and more.
‘HE CHUCKED ME’
However, she said she did not expect what transpired on Wednesday. Giving her account, she said that she left the Committee of Supply to use the washroom when she noticed an altercation between a number of PPP/C MPs and Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield who was there for the consideration of the estimates.
“I was trying to pass that scene. They were really trying to get at him and he eventually left and Kwame — we were still there — so Kwame approached me with a phone in his hand. Apparently videotaping, I’m not sure what he was doing. He was in my face, less than a feet away from me. So, I raised my hand to block him from recording me and he took his hand with his phone and just chucked me to my left temple and right now my head and my neck is hurting from it,” Sarabo-Halley said subsequently on an APNU+AFC programme.
The Opposition MP said that when this transpired she went to the Clerk and Speaker of the National Assembly to report it but was told that the matter is for the police. She said the police were then asked to speak with her and she has given a statement.
During the ordeal, she said she saw two persons who witnessed what took place, though she did not name these persons. “I thought I was alone on the corridor but there were two persons. When I turned around I saw two persons that were actually there and they saw everything that happened. So, it wouldn’t just be my word against him,” she said.
Following the alleged incident, Sarabo-Halley told her fellow Opposition MPs. As such, just close to 16:00 hours, Opposition Chief Whip, Christopher Jones rose to his feet in the Committee of Supply requesting that the matter be heard urgently due to its serious nature. However, the Speaker immediately blocked his request stating that doing such would go against the existing Standing Orders.
However, all 18 Opposition MPs present then stood to their feet with Jones explaining that, in keeping with existing Standing Orders, they must be heard.
After consulting with the Clerk of the National Assembly, Nadir stated: “As I said, we have the same Standing Order…we’re in Committee of Supply, we have to leave Committee of Supply after this to go back to the Assembly and then when we revert to the Assembly, the 18 Members can stand and will be heard.”
The Opposition MPs further protested by hitting their desks and contesting that an MP, who is a woman, was assaulted and the matter, therefore, ought to be treated with the utmost urgency. The Speaker, however, stood to his feet announcing a suspension and left the room.
NO BUSINESS AS USUAL
Outside in the halls of the ACCC, Opposition MPs verbally expressed their frustration. “They stand right there today and hold up placards to end violence against women…and Kwame McCoy assaulted Tabitha Sarabo-Halley,” Opposition MP, Ganesh Mahipaul said, holding up the very placard which bore McCoy’s signature.
“It’s not right!” MP Nima N. Flue-Bess shouted. “We’re supposed to be protected, we have a home, we have a family! Nonsense!” MP Maureen Philadelphia shouted: “We’re not leaving our comfort to come here for anybody to abuse us! That’s not what we’re coming here for.”
“We cannot have a situation in which we come in good faith to scrutinize the estimates on behalf of the people of Guyana and have to endure the level of abuse and assault that we’re seeing,” MP Amanza Walton-Desir said.
“We cannot have a Member of Parliament who feels it is acceptable to take his phone and hit a female MP in her face and believe it’s going to be business as usual. It’s not going to be business as usual.”
LONE WITNESS
Over on the page of the Department of Public Information (DPI), the information agency took the angle “APNU+AFC disrupts Parliament, disrespects Speaker”. They spoke with Prime Minister, Mark Phillips; Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill and Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Anand Persaud.
Phillips told the DPI that the matter is linked to an allegation and that McCoy was not even near Srabo-Halley to have assaulted her.
“We have spoken to Minister McCoy, Minister McCoy has denied there’s any assault that he was even near to her to warrant any physical assault but, more than that, this has led to the disruption of the proceedings in the House and I wish to condemn the behaviour of the Leader of the Opposition and the MPs on the Opposition side,” the PM said.
However, in contradiction, he stated further that Minister Persaud witnessed what took place between McCoy and Halley. Persaud then told of what he witnessed on the corridors of the Conference Center.
“I was a loner there, nobody was around. The door was pushed open, ‘Lowenfield questionable, charged before the Courts’ emerged from the door. Shortly afterwards the honourable Minister Kwame McCoy emerged and when the door closed Lowenfield turned around and said ‘you should have been in jail’. Kwame said ‘who’. He [Lowenfield] said ‘you should have been in jail’,” Persaud began.
He added: “Shortly after the Member of the Opposition, Sarabo Halley, she emerged and she went between Lowenfield and the honourable Minister Kwame McCoy and was telling Kwame ‘move from here, move from here’. Kwame took out his phone, was trying to video what took place. They were about three feet apart from each other and I never saw Kwame assaulting anyone. I was a loner there.”
Meanwhile, Edghill referred to the alleged incident as an intentional fabrication and “mischief”. He suggested that the matter could be investigated utilizing the cameras set up across the Conference Center to determine whether there was any physical contact between the two in question. “Their choice was Kwame McCoy because they believe he is a soft target to sell this narrative about violence,” Edghill said.
The matter is now under police investigation. Since then, some political parties and organisations have called for McCoy to be prosecuted for his alleged action.
