Rule of Law march
'Second wave' lighter than first
Stabroek News
April 24, 2004
Justice for prisoners: Participants in the Rule of Law March yesterday spared a few moments for inmates at the Camp Street Prison. While marching along this route, they shouted "freedom".
Dubbed 'the second wave', the follow-up 'Rule of Law' march, organised by the People's Movement for Justice (PMJ), was but a shadow of the first, with about 300 people showing up. But despite this, a third march is planned for next Thursday at 11 am.
The march's main objective is to force an independent inquiry into the death squad allegations made against Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj.
Yesterday's marchers had among their ranks several apparently mentally-ill street people most of whom were allowed to hold up placards and even lead the demonstration, gyrating and shouting slogans.
The event was incident-free as tight security, compliments of the Guyana Police Force, kept the demonstrators in line. However, a few storeowners took the precaution of closing their doors when the marchers appeared, while others removed whatever goods and items they had displayed outside.
And unlike the first march of March 20, no rally was organised. At the end of the march, participants congregated at the Square of the Revolution where they listened to three short speeches, then dispersed.
Out of the mouths of babes? A toddler in a stroller holds a free speech placard for all to see during the People's Movement for Justice's Rule of Law march yesterday.
The marchers took off 20 minutes after the scheduled starting time of 3.30 pm, escorted by the police. They sang spiritual songs at the beginning and as the march intensified, belted out other popular songs.
At one point they strode to the chants: "Jagdeo you got to know, we stepping up the tempo" and "You can't kill and get away, no veezay (visa)" among others.
Leading the march were familiar faces like those of Norris Witter of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and PNCR leader Robert Corbin and member Volda Lawrence.
The marchers proceeded east along Brickdam to Camp Street, south into Camp Street to Durban Street, east along Durban Street to Louisa Row, north along Louisa Row to Cummings Street to Third Street, Alberttown, east along Third Street to Albert Street, south along Albert Street to Brickdam and east along Brickdam and then to the Square of the Revolution.
Speaking with the aid of a truck-mounted public address system, Corbin said the time for "plenty talk" is over and it was time to stand up for rights, despite threats. He announced that the next march would be held on Thursday at 11 am. He told persons gathered that they could not be penalised if they called in sick and turned up at the march, or if they took their lunch hour to support the march.
Desmond Trotman of the PMJ said: "We must ensure that the Gajraj issue remains foremost on our minds."
General-Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Lincoln Lewis said the time has come to stand up and be resolute, adding that the struggle will be at all fronts.
"We have to make sacrifices to move the process forward. Change shall never come about by talking only about peace," he said.