Panday: UNC denied permission to march

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday said the United National Congress (UNC) was denied permission to stage an anti-crime march in Chaguanas on Monday (Budget Day) and accused the police of using double standards in deciding who should, or should not march. Speaking with Newsday yesterday, Panday disclosed: “We applied for permission and we were denied.” Under the Summary Offences Amendment Act 1998, any group planning to hold a public march or meeting must obtain permission from the police, 48 days in advance. The UNC leader insisted that the Opposition was not in breach of this law.

Maintaining that demonstrations were a legitimate means for people to express their concerns, Panday lashed out at the police for “discriminating against the UNC” and wondered why police allowed other individuals to march. On Thursday, members of a concerned group of Chaguanas businessmen and constituents said they never sought police permission because they never intended to march. UNC MPs Hamza Rafeeq, Manohar Ramsaran and others were reportedly allowed by officers from the Chaguanas Police Station to stage “a peace walk” but were subsequently confronted by ACP (Operations) Oswyn Allard and other lawmen who stated that the group had no permission to stage a march. Plans to stage the walk and close down businesses in Chaguanas were reportedly hatched over the weekend.

Rafeeq and Ramsaran will reappear in the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court on Monday to answer charges of participating in a public march without a permit. Former Attorney-General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj confirmed that public marches were illegal without police permission, but said he did not know all the facts about Monday’s protest. Asked whether the Opposition would boycott today’s 2003/2004 Budget debate in Parliament, Panday expressed uncertainty. He said if the UNC decides to attend Parliament today, he will give the Opposition’s reply to the Budget. However, Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh later indicated that the UNC would participate in today’s Budget debate which begins in Parliament at 10 am, to demonstrate that the PNM was inept at handling the country’s economy.