Protest continues for Dharamlall to be held accountable

Guyanese continue to engage in protest action demanding that disgraced former minister Nigel Dharamlall be held accountable in a court of law for allegation that he sexually violated a minor. Monday persons assembled again at Square of the Revolution, in Georgetown, demanding the former minister be charged.

Dharamlall, who was headed the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development is accused of raping and sodomising a minor and forcing her to have oral sex. The 16-year-old student, who is from the indigenous community, was part of an indigenous pageant last year and sponsored by Dharamlall’s ministry. The incident reportedly happened last December.

Analysts are contending the state has a duty, under the law, to press charges against Dharamlall. One of them told Village Voice News, under the Sexual Offences Act the state has a responsibility to protect the minor and presently the state has not only abandoned its responsibility to the minor but has now become the defender of the accused.

The Guyana Police Force has aborted taking further action on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack S,C, given the child gave a free and voluntary statement to withdraw her complaint against Dharamlall. Many in society have rejected this and said the conditions under which the child was held (she was placed with the Child Protection Agency), the state of her mental well-being, badgering by state officials and denial of access to a lawyer, could never constitute a statement that was free and voluntary given.

Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Slowe said there is “compelling evidence” to charge Dhramalall and blasted the DPP for her advice, saying the entire handling of the matter has brought the country ‘shame and disrepute.”

The minor, in a “public statement” dated July 9, 2023, which appeared to be coerced, said she would like to “urge the opposition especially Amanza Walton, Simona Broomes, Geeta Chandan, Dawn Hastings, Ganesh Mahipaul and Annette Ferguson to desist from speaking about indigenous people because every day this section of the population is affected and these people are quite 98 % percent of the times.”

The named individuals have been very vocal in demanding an investigation and court action. One of these persons, Dawn Hastings is of Indigenous ethnicity.  There has also been protest by some members of the Amerindian community, including the Amerindian People Association that has issued a strongly worded statement on the matter.

In the July 9 statement, the teen also said “I stand firmly on my decision to withdraw the complaint against Minister Dharamlall and I wish to say that it was a free and voluntary decision to withdraw my complaint. Senior Counsel and Member of Parliament Roysdale Forde said the statement sounds like desperation on the part of the government to cover-up an alleged heinous act by one of their own.

In an interview Tuesday with Village Voice News, Forde said the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government has been continuously exploiting the Amerindian people. The Amerindian “women and children are mentally, physically, sexually, economically and socially abused by a party in government that is more comfortable doing their dirty deeds, after which they seek to buy your dignity, rather than accept your dignity is priceless, God given, and should be respected every day,” he asserted.

The senior counsel, in addition to saying the family should bring private criminal and civil charges against Dharamlall, said the call for justice must not be silenced by a child who continues to be abused by the system and by unscrupulous adults to ensure her silence. “Where she cannot speak, we must speak for her and other abused minors and let the predators in our midst know the long arm of the law would get them.” According to him, the protest for Dharamlall to be charged must continue.

This publication reached out to one of the organisers of the protest and was told the protest will continue.