Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC) Nigel Hughes used the group of Warraus, who recently travelled to Georgetown, for political gain before abandoning the group.
“They try to politicalize the issue…then they suddenly jumped to an immigration policy before he abandoned the people,” Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo said on Thursday during his weekly press conference.
Dr Jagdeo, who is also the PPP/C General Secretary set the record straight on the matter.
He said when the group, which includes both adults and children, was left in the city, the Government provided assistance to them.
According to Dr Jagdeo, a bus attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was arranged to transport the group of Parika, East Bank Essequibo since majority of them hail from Charity in Region Two.
He said the group was provided with meals and transported safety based to their homes.
“We saw that the Warraus came into the city, they showed up in front State House, the President sent his aid-de-camp to meet with them, they got hampers, were placed in a bus and taken to Parika because most of them are residents of Charity,” Dr Jagdeo said.
Jagdeo told reporters that upon learning that the group was in Georgetown, Hughes took advantage of the opportunity and showed up, trying to politicalize the issue by claiming that it was the government who invited the group to the city.
He then further went on to say that Hughes subsequently shifted the blame on the country’s immigration policy by saying it is poor.
On Monday, Lieutenant Colonel Earl Edghill, aide-de-camp to President Irfaan Ali, provided a detailed account to clarify the situation after Hughes showed images of the group of people in Georgetown Monday.
According to Edghill, last Thursday during President Ali’s visit to Essequibo, the President engaged with residents, many of whom requested assistance and took photos with him. At no point, however, did the President or anyone associated with him invite individuals to travel to Georgetown.
The following day, Friday, a group of Warrau people unexpectedly turned up at State House, claiming they had been instructed by the President to come to the capital. Lieutenant Colonel Edghill, upon learning of the situation, immediately contacted President Ali, who made it clear that no such instruction was given.
Nevertheless, humanitarian assistance was swiftly provided as directed by the President before they were transported back to their home communities in Essequibo.
 Nigel Hughes used the group of Warraus, who recently travelled to Georgetown, for political gain before abandoning the group.){kind=link}