Business group hails shutdown as successful
By Miranda La Rose
Stabroek News
October 11, 2002
Georgetown was still not back to normal yesterday as some business places observed the call for a second day of protest over rampant crime and the attitude of the government and the opposition to it.
The call for the shutdown to continue into a second day came from the Unite Guyana group but did not match the overwhelming response of the day before.
The brainchild of the October 9 shutdown, the Association of Regional Chambers of Commerce (ARCC), hailed the action as a success.
The ARCC yesterday acknowledged the support of all Guyanese who supported the shutdown to protest the current crime wave.
In a release, the ARCC also acknowledged the support of the Unite Guyana group, which, it said had the courage to positively respond to their October 9 shutdown initiative.
They also acknowledged the support of businessman Paul Fraser, organisations and the wider community for their support in making the shutdown "a resounding success."
The ARCC said it also empathised with those who for reasons best known to themselves may still be wrestling with their conscience because they chose not to take part. The ARCC said that it has no other motive than to put Guyana first.
The ARCC said that it intends to continue to give strong and decisive leadership to the regional chambers of commerce that it represents, the business community and peace loving Guyanese whenever it feels this necessary.
Meanwhile, a key figure in mobilising the Georgetown businesses when the George-town of Chamber of Commerce and Industry executive did not support the idea of the shutdown said he felt that Wednesday's protest action by the business community was totally successful. He said it "it is the one time that the Guyanese people spoke with one voice. They made one statement and that is `we are fed up'. We were not divided along racial lines' in respect of the protest against crime".
A member of Unite Guyana, a non-partisan and non-political group, of professionals, individuals and businessmen, formed to give support to the day, yesterday congratulated citizens for their positive support.
He said members of the group were not identifying themselves for fear of political victimisation.
Should there be no positive response from the administration and opposition parties to the ongoing crime wave, the source said that further action will be planned. If it comes to a second wave of protests, he said the business community will not be as fragmented as it was this time.
Yesterday, more than half of the businesses in Georgetown remained closed. Lombard Street was deserted and closed to business. A high percentage of businesses on Regent Street, the hub of commerce in the city remained closed. Some which had opened up earlier in the day closed for the afternoon.
While some stalls opened in Bourda market, many remained shut. Some which had opened earlier in the day also closed during the afternoon. It was not business as usual.
In other parts of the country, the situation was reported to be normal though there were some transportation difficulties. Berbice had strongly supported the shutdown on Wednesday. Schools throughout the country still reported below normal attendance though it was better than Wednesday's turnout.
The People's National Congress REFORM (PNC/R) and the Working People's Alliance (WPA) yesterday commended the initiative taken by the business community to emphasise their position on the deteriorating crime situation in Guyana.
In a statement read at its weekly press briefing, PNC/R Central Executive Member Deryck Bernard noted that the business community has had the courage to speak out and take action.
He said the PNC/R hopes that other forces in the society will also have the courage to take the moral high ground.
Bernard said that the PNC/R believes that civil society including the business community should take a more proactive and aggressive role in national affairs and the shutdown was a healthy sign.
Whether the party agreed with the business community's position at this stage was not important, he said adding that what was crucial was that the business community was speaking out and working together to ensure that their voice was heard.
He said that history will show that the shutdown "was a very significant step forward in our political life and it will enhance the credibility of the business community, physically, and civil society in general."
Bernard said that the PNC/R took the position of the business community very seriously along with their recognition that the PNC/R has a role to play as the de facto opposition and as an alternative government.
The party, he said, noted that the Unite Guyana criticism of the PNC/R tended to ignore the relative powerlessness of the opposition party in situations where the mechanisms of parliament do not work in its favour. However, he said the party will be content to say it applauded their initiative and if in taking a position they had difficult things to say about the PNC/R it was more important to encourage civil society than to try to defend itself in such situations.
In brief remarks, Desmond Trotman, executive member of the WPA, said that the party felt that the business community had the right to take protest action in view of the escalating crime situation and the detrimental effect it was having on the society. He felt that the day of protest in which businesses closed their doors was successful and had some kind of positive impact on the administration.