NIWEINER GATE PART DEUX

The palpable fear of intimidation and reprisals by government officials and their cohorts continue to result in Guyanese women being victims twice over.

It has been one month since Niweiner gate Guyana edition and not unexpectedly, there has been no action taken at all. In March, Ms. Shanaz Hussain, spoke out on social media about her experience of Minister of Local Government Nigel Dharamlall allegedly preying on her.

Screenshots of her claims subsequently made the social media rounds also. Thereafter, at least seven other women who claimed to have shared similar experiences with the alleged perpetrator, came forward and commiserated with Ms. Hussain. I myself read several of the women's correspondence. The accounts of the other young women, were all similar in modus operandi.

The rather alarming level of dangerous animosity displayed towards Ms. Hussain, coupled with the lack of support from PPP government officials with whom contact was made, has resulted in just what the PPP apparently hoped for. That is, a reluctance of victims to present themselves at a police station to file official complaints.

President Ali in what could only be described as a feeble attempt to appear as though he is addressing the issue, made a vague reference to the social media post. On March 30th, in his usual indistinct manner, several local media houses, quoted Ali as saying that a report should be made to the police before any investigation could take place. Ali also rather conveniently claimed that Dharamlall "had lost his phone." (Demerara Waves March 30)

So President Ali, what safeguards are in place to allow possible victims to freely come forward to testify against a member of your government without fear for their personal safety and that of their families?

One of the women who spoke with Ms. Hussain whose identity I will not disclose for her own safety, was forced to shut up. As she is employed in a state sector she did not have a choice. The resultant abuse of authority has far- reaching implications not just on the victims but it also significantly negatively impacts their families.

What is disheartening and disturbing, is that there is actual evidence, which obviously has to be verified. But it exists. There are screenshots a couple of which show a man who is purportedly the minister. Additionally, there are also screenshots of conversation threads. Last and by all means least, there are genitalia photos allegedly sent by him from what appears to be his number at the time.

Appallingly, it appears that accusations of this level of depravity are of no moment to the PPP government. Even more disturbing, is the vitriol, including direct threats spewed at Ms. Hussain by online trolls. The situation is eerily reminiscent of the humiliation domestic and sexual violence victims experience when they make reports to the police. I can attest to same having been exposed to the ignorance at the Brickdam Police Station and in the courtroom, while working in media.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Human Services and Social Security Vindhya Persaud, appears to be selective in the women's issues she champions. Persaud talks a good game in her speeches with respect to her abhorrence of physical and mental abuse against women and girls.

Moreover, Minister Persaud played an integral part in the collaborative effort with the Guyana Bar Association to provide pro bono legal services to abused women in need. All commendable steps in the right direction. This then begs the question if her championing the cause to stem domestic abuse stops when it may involve members of her government.

There was some correspondence between Minister Persaud and Ms.Hussein to which I was privy. Minister Persaud indicated that she would not defend or protect anyone, including a colleague provided they're guilty and rightly so. How then, has she remained silent to date with respect to Dharamlall's disgusting behaviour in parliament? Notably, the minister with some alacrity recently offered support to the young woman whose father is presently before the court accused of brutalising her.

Further, the minister promised to put Ms.Hussain in contact with a "senior officer" of the ministry. Reportedly, this did not fructify primarily because Ms.Hussain indicated that she has no faith or trust in the Guyanese system that any definitive action would ever be taken against Dharamlall. This was even more so after one of the women who had spoken about her experience in which she went as far as to allege rape, was said to have been warned off.

In desperate frustration, Ms. Hussain reached out to Education Minister Priya Manickchand. The Whatsapp message was received and read but to date no response has been forthcoming.

It is not even a question of Minister Persaud, Education Minister Priya Manickchand, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, Minister of Public Service Sonia Parag and Tourism Minister Oneidge Waldron empathising as fellow women. It's a question of doing the decent and honourable thing as a right-thinking human and condemning at the very least, Dharamlall's behaviour in parliament.

One has to wonder why it is that to date, President Ali appears very reluctant to order an independent investigation into Minister Dharamlall's ongoing unseemly behaviour. The first incident on record is the public verbal attack on two female members of the judiciary last December following a ruling to which he disagreed. Then there is the matter involving him allegedly preying on Ms. Hussain. Third, the debacle in parliament in February, where during the budget debate, he told APNU representative Natasha Singh-Lewis "you got to get a dildo, that's what you're looking for." Speaker of the House, Manzoor Nadir in his wisdom, failed to suspend Dharamlall for his crass and disrespectful comment. Even worse, the PPP government female members of parliament present sat there apparently mute. Likewise, the hapless President Ali has to date never condemned Dharamlall's actions. Shame on them all. The blind could see a pattern of cotemptuous behaviour towards women. Futher, one does not have to be a psychologist to not only understand that something is drastically wrong, but that this has to be expeditiously reigned in.

With a view to further illustrating the lack of support women who speak out face, it would behoove me not to omit the matter of WPC Shanette Boston. A matter which is now subdudice as result of private criminal charges filed by her attorney Eusi Anderson. Although, a criminal act allegedly occurred, to date the Guyana Police Force has not brought charges against former Chancellor of the Judiciary Carl Singh's son attorney Nirvan Singh. A recent Stabroek News report states that the Director of Public Prosecutions, is still reviewing the police file on Singh. He stands accused of spitting on Boston, as well as making racially charged and derogatory statements to her.

Since that incident, WPC Boston reportedly continuously faces a decided lack of support from within the police force. Additionally, it is claimed that even the attorney representing her has met with hardship since he began to assist the policewoman.

Guyana continues to fail its women.