‘Race, religious hate not fit for a modern society’ – Pres. Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali has expressed his disgust and zero tolerance for people who seek to divide the country by using race and religion.

In direct response to the Mayor of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj Narine’s racist and prejudiced remarks against the Muslim community, President Ali on Tuesday made it clear that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

“I have zero tolerance for race haters, and religious haters in this country, they must be called out and shamed. The time for this nonsense must come to an end and we must start from in here,” the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces said while addressing the annual Police Commissioner’s Christmas Breakfast at Eve Leary, Georgetown.

President Ali further added: “we must not allow these irrelevant misfits in a modern society to have their way, I am very careful of my definition of them, they are misfits, anyone who tolerates disorder and people using racism or religious affiliation are misfits in a modern society.”

Mayor Narine, during a live broadcast on his Facebook page on Monday night, accused the current government of “bullying poor people because they are Afro-Guyanese.”

He later went on to accuse President Ali of refusing to work with him [Narine] because he is a Hindu.

The entire incident stemmed from the government’s decision to remove illegal vendors opposite the Georgetown Public Hospital on New Market Street because they impede the free flow of ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

After receiving severe criticism for his racist and discriminatory remarks, Narine attempted to apologise. But several organisations have since called for him to resign.

The Private Sector Commission in a statement said Narine’s remarks are “unacceptable, vile, obnoxious, religiously offensive and highly provocative.”

The Viraat Sabhaa of Guyana – a Hindu organisation – also condemned his “degrading remarks.”