Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 07, 2015 News
General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee yesterday dodged questions about government’s decision to ignore numerous calls to sanction Attorney General Anil Nandlall for threats made in relation to staffers of the Kaieteur News and the establishment itself.
Late last year, Kaieteur News made public a recording of a conversation Nandlall had with a Senior Kaieteur News reporter.
Nandlall was heard saying that there are plans afoot to harm “innocent people” working at Kaieteur News in reaction to many of the stories the paper had been publishing.
He was also heard admitting that he used taxpayers’ money for personal reasons. The Attorney General, in the recording referred to a female Kaieteur News reporter as a “li’l thing” and advocated for one of his relatives to have an opportunity to have sexual favours from the reporter.
The general content of the recording sparked widespread displeasure and many bodies have since called for Nandlall to resign or otherwise be removed from his post.
Many of his colleagues in the Guyana Bar Association called for him to resign and so did the two main opposition parties – A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change. Even the governmental Women and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC) endorsed such calls, but they all fell on deaf ears.
Yesterday, as he hosted the PPP’s weekly press conference where he lauded developments that came under the PPP/C administration, Rohee was asked to comment on government’s refusal to remove Nandlall.
The General Secretary was also asked how the PPP views the fact that the government, in an effort to protect Nandlall, even ignored the call of the WGEC, which is a governmental organization.
But Rohee refused to give a straight answer. He said that the PPP had already made known its position on the Nandlall recording. He added that questions on how the PPP views the government’s stance on the issue should be directed to Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, as “it is all really up to the government.”
The WGEC has publicly stated that it is “shocked and dismayed by the utterances made recently by the person who currently holds the position of Attorney General of Guyana. His utterances clearly demonstrated a marked lack of respect for women.”
The Commission said that the recording brought two issues to the fore, one being the conduct of public officials and the other being the culture of men as it relates to women in Guyana.
The Commission which is headed by Indra Chandarpal said that in this case, the conduct of the public official is particularly worrisome. This, the commission said, is mainly because he has particular responsibility for upholding the Constitution of Guyana.
The Commission pointed out that the constitution protects the rights of women and stipulates obligations under the United Nations Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as well as the mandates of this Commission which falls under Article 86.
“We therefore endorse the call for all necessary sanctions to be taken,” said the Commission.
Two of his female colleagues in government and the National Assembly have condemned Nandlall’s actions. They are Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, and Member of Parliament Dr. Vindhya Persaud.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
Apr 19, 2024
SportsMax – West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews delivered a stellar all-round performance to lead her team to a commanding 113-run victory over Pakistan Women in the first One Day...Kaieteur News – For years, the disciples of Bharrat Jagdeo have woven a narrative of economic success during his tenure... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]