Speaker of Parliament, Mansoor Nadir, today rejected the (Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) Petition submitted to Parliament today calling for an international enquiry into all aspects of the Guyana Police Force (GPF). In accordance with parliamentary procedures the Petition was submitted by sitting MP Amanza Walton-Desir. The Petition was supported by all major parliamentary opposition parties.
Despite more than 80 signatures, collected in great haste over the week-end the Petition was set aside for procedural reasons, the default response to such Petitions from the current Speaker. This is the second such GHRA Petition set aside by the Speaker. An earlier Petition signed by 64 persons relating to the Natural Resources Fund in 2021 suffered the same fate.
Unnecessary bureaucratic procedures, imposed by the current ruling party, render Petitions onerous to devise. The requirement of signatures of signatories in addition to ID, name & address is particularly cumbersome
Rather than encourage citizens to vent their grievances by this democratic procedure, the Speaker and the ruling party he represents appear to prefer social unrest on the streets.
Petitions of this nature need to be a more regular feature of Guyanese political life, since they represent the democratic avenue for ventilating contentious issues. However, the preference of the ruling party appears to be to remove and reduce such opportunities for civilized politics.
The Petition for an international commission of enquiry into policing in Guyana superceeded the original demand of the GHRA for resignation of the current Police Commissioner, in response to the widespread indignation generated by the botched police investigation of the death of 11-years old Adrianna Younge on West Coast Demerara.
The GHRA is appreciative of the support extended by Opposition MPs, in particular Ms Walton-Desir MP.
In light of this painful setback, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) is continuing to demand action. We are sharing a Google Doc via GHRA’s Facebook page— open to all Guyanese living both locally and abroad. Your voice matters now more than ever.
We urge you to add your name to the Petition and help call for an international inquiry into policing in Guyana. Together, we must show that Adriana’s life mattered — and that we will not be silenced.
