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SUNDAY CHRONICLE August 16, 2015
Jagdeo named as a culpable party in 1999 kidnapping By Ifa Kamau Cush FORMER Guyanese president, Bharrat Jagdeo, is named as a culpable party in the 1999 kidnapping and presumed murder of Franz Britton, aka ‘Collie Wills’. A 2001 Organization of American States, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ [IACHR] Report #80/01, Petition #12.264 identifies Jagdeo along with Ronald Gajraj, former Minister of Home Affairs; Laurie Lewis, former Commissioner of the Guyana Police Force; and Leon Fraser, a former superintendent of the Guyana Police Force, as “responsible for Mr Britton’s disappearance whilst in police custody.” According to the report, on January 25, 1999, Mr Britton, a father of three children, was “re-arrested by Leon Fraser, the Assistant Superintendent of Police of the Criminal Investigation Department, headquartered at Eve Leary, Georgetown, Guyana.” The report continues: “Mr Britton was last seen in the company of Mr Leon Fraser, Superintendent of Police, head of the dreaded ‘Black Clothes’ police, and being bundled into a silver, grey car, licence plate number PGG 3412.” He hasn’t been seen since! FULL DISCLOSURE: I testified at the IACHR hearing on behalf of Mr Britton, and at the behest of his mother, Ms Irma Wills, in March 2000. Dr Odeen Ismael, Guyana’s ambassador to the United States at the time, represented the Government of the People’s Progressive Party [PPP]. THE JAGDEO REGIME Bharrat Jagdeo served as president of Guyana from 1999 to 2011. He now serves as leader of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party. Starting in 1999, and, continuing until 2008, Guyanese citizens experienced an unprecedented reign of terror at the hands of his Government. During that period, hundreds of Guyanese were murdered, many under the colour of law, by members of the Guyana Police Force which was used by the PPP Government to enforce its criminal edacity. Victims and the survivors of the PPP’s murderous criminality were offered no recourse from any of Guyana’s State agencies, including the courts. The IACHR underscored that lack of recourse for
Guyanese citizens in its 2001 Report about the Franz Britton kidnapping. According to the report, Ms Irma Wills, Mr Britton’s mother, and other relatives ‘visited both the Cove and John Police Station at East Coast Demerara, and the Brickdam police station where Mr Britton was last seen, and that they have been stymied in their efforts by the State authorities in Guyana to ascertain Mr Britton’s whereabouts after his arrest,
Britton, including moral damages in compensation for the suffering occasioned by Mr Britton’s disappearance.” A NEW DISPENSATION
After 23 years of PPP terrorism, the Guyanese people elected a new Government on May 11, 2015 with David Granger as President. President David Granger made a solemn vow recently. Speaking at the 3rd annual Cuffy 250 State of the African-Guyanese Forum, the President promised to “ensure that all of those mothers’ children who were killed have their deaths investigated,” and those found culpable brought to justice. The IACHR does not reach its conclusions frivolously. In the case of Franz Britton, the Commission conducted an exhaustive investigation into the merits of the case over a five-year period. During that time, it “received no information or observations from the State [of Guyana] with respect to the petitioner’s petition, despite repeated requests.” Consequently, according to the IACHR, “the Commission presumes the facts alleged in the petition to be true, and is satisfied that there is no other evidence that could lead to any other conclusion.” The evidence against Mr Jagdeo and his cohorts is overwhelming, and damning in its specificity. And, in a remarkable case of irony, attorney Basil Williams, who represented Mr Britton and his family 15 years ago, is now Guyana’s Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs. Ifa Cush Former President Under Article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute, Bharrat Jagdeo which governs the International Criminal Court, detention, and transportation Bharrat Jagdeo and his cohorts named in the IACHR to Brickdam Police Station, report can be charged, on the basis of their individual Georgetown, by Mr Leon Fraser, Superintendent of Police.” criminal responsibility and as indirect co-perpetrators, for The IACHR concluded, subsequently, in a 2006 follow- crimes against humanity, namely, murder – Article 7(1)(a); up Report #1/06, Case #12.264 that “agents of the State forcible transfer – Article 7(1)(d); and/or, torture – Article security forces abducted and/or detained Franz Britton and 7(1)(f). that during the following six years his whereabouts have not The ball is now in your court - no pun intended - Mr been identified, and that, as a result, Guyana has violated the Attorney General! rights of Franz Britton to life, liberty, personal liberty, judicial protection, arbitrary arrest and due process of law.” (Ifa Kamau Cush, BA, MA is the international More significantly, the IACHR called on the “State [of correspondent for New African Magazine. Mr. Cush was Guyana] to provide reparations for the relatives of Franz a Ph.D. candidate at New York University)
National Data Management Authority to join E-Governance in single entity THE Government of Guyana is working to incorporate the operations of the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) into its massive E-Governance operations. On Friday last, Minister of State Joseph Harmon was apprised of the operations of the unit during a visit to its University of Guyana, Turkeyen, location. During the visit, Minister Harmon was informed of the NDMA’s mandate as well as a number of challenges facing that authority. General Manager Godfrey Proctor informed the minister that the NDMA has not had a board appointed in over two decades. He said this has severely hampered the work of the authority. He also pointed out that the NDMA which was set up to do training for the public sector has the capacity to do so. However, the authority has been underutilised for many years. Minister Harmon gave Mr Proctor and the staff the assurances that Government, in its review of the Public Service ICT, will restore the NDMA and similar bodies so that they can play a meaningful role in his Administration’s E-Governance initiatives. The minister surmised that the NDMA Act of 1983 provides the appropriate framework through which Government can address the ICT needs of the public sector. In this regard, he undertook to bring the NDMA and E-Government Project under a single administrative system. Minister Harmon further promised that a board of directors will be appointed to give guidance to the work of the NDMA.
Minister of State Joe Harmon interacts with a staff member of the National Data Management Authority on Friday last (Jules Gibson photo)