Petition from Guyanese Civil Society translated into Guyanese by Charlene Wilkinson

Dis a wan pitishan wi mi sain fo tek part in di strogl fo diimakrasi in Gaiyana:

President Donald Ramotar:

Bring back di Parliament now and stap di govament from get aan laik se dem a dikteeta

Mondee, Novemba ten, President Donald Ramotar tel di Gaiyniiz piipl se ii sospen di Gaiyana Parliment. Wen ii kom pon di TV fo taak to di neeshan bout wa ii duu, ii se di Govament bin oblaij fo duu da, adawaiz di ten Parliment wuda had fo klooz dong. Bot ii na reelii telin di chruut. Ii sospen di Parliment fo mek di PPP govament hool an to powa.  Yu sii, kaaz ii sospen di Parliment, ii foors out di aposishan an ii na set no deet fo wen dem kud kom bak in di Parliment. So ii reelii tek we piipl raitz wa di Kanstichushan gi dem. In chruut an in fak, di sospenshan gon blak di ‘No Confidence’ voot wa di kombain aposishan bin wahn fo taak bout in di Parliment. Di President lef di hool konchri in wan big kanfyuuzhan kaaz piipl na shoor wen di PPP gon mek Parliament kaal bak ageen.

President Ramotar se ii na brok no laa. Aal di seem, ii chraiyin fo chrik piipl. If yu chek out wa di Kanstichuushan reeli miin, it na gi di President di rait fo sospen di Parliment jos so. Ii tek aan powa laik ii a wan king.  Da kain a powa na fo dis kain a govament wa wi gat in Gaiyana. Gaiyana bin duu we wid dem kain a powa set op we di President kyariiyin aan laik se I a wan king an we di ruulin partii gat powa ova di piipl repriisentativ dem.

Pon tap a da, in 2000 aal man in di Nashanal Asemblii bin agrii fo paas wan bil fo ad aan di NO CONFIDENCE klaaz pon di Kanstichuushan. If di apasishan tink tingz reeli niid fo sheek op an di konchrii niid fo get wan neks iilekshan, dat de klaaz wud lou da.  Reepu Daman Persaud self se da klaaz gon stap enbadi in di govament from get aan laik se dem a dikteeta. Reepu bin di Liida a di hous dem taim. If yu chek di parliment peepa fo Diisemba 15, 2000, yu gon fain wa ii (Dem da peepa a wa dem kaal di Hansard.) Reepu Daman Persaud se di klaaz wa ad in important bad, kaaz it gon help di konchrii fo ton moo demokratik. Bot heer wa nou! Dis ting wa Ramotar duu di ada dee (Novemba 10) an kleem se di kanstichushan lou im fo duu am, dat a wan bakward ting from di 1980 Kanstichuushan, an ii duu am fo porpos, fo blak di NO CONFIDENCE voot wa di nyuu 2000 Kanstichuushan bin lou.  Wach hou dis prorogation ting mek di nyuu Kanstichuushan luk laik schupitnis.  Di 2000 Kanstichuushan bin supooz fo gi aal awi mo powa, miin fo se, aal di biznis fo di konchrii kyari-aan in kleer deelait fo evri badi sii an di big wan dem kud stee kleer from koropshan. Bot nou, laik wi gaan rait bak in di koloniiyal deez wen di wait ruulaz dem bin sospen di 1953 Kanstichuushan fo kik out Cheddi Jagan out a di govament. Di seem ting aal ova ageen.   

Wel Ramotar se ii na brok no laa. Bot da no miin ii chriit di Gaiyniiz piipl rait. Ii no biiheev laik wan demokratik president. If yu rimemba di Herdmanston Accord wa CARICOM bin set op in 1998, dat a di agriiment wa bin mek di Kanstichuushan mo beta in 2001.  Nou dat wi na gat no Parliment, di minority PPP government eebl for duu wa eva dem wahn fo duu wid di konchri aal bai deself. Di apasishan kyaahn wach hou dem spenin moni, dem kyaahn diskos notn wid dem, an dem kyaahn stap di minista dem from kyari aan hou  dem wahn an uuz dem powa az dem laik. Di PPP ton wan reel dikteeta govament fo chruu, an dem no iivn chraiyin fo haid it.

Wen di PPP bin kom in powa in 1992, dem se dem gwain bring bak diimakrasi in di konchri. But Jagdeo bin kyari aan wid a hool set a breeznnis wen ii bin in powa, an nou Ramotar kom an put di aisin pon di keek. An yet ii se ii na brok no laa. Luk pon som a di tingz wa dem bin kyari aan wid:

• Dem na hool no lokal govament iilekshan sins 1994. Dis a wan kleer vaiyooleeshan a di Kanstichuushan;
• Dem na set op di Human Rights Commission;
• Dem na set op di Public Procurement Commission. Dis woda shoo piipl hou  di konchrii monii spenin;
• Wen di Nashanal Asemblii paas bil in di Parliment, di President riifuuz fo lou di bil dem fo paas. Wan man blak wa nof man grii to!
• Aal ova di eks-British Kyaribiiyan, wi get mark fo di moos korop konchri, an wi neem iivn gaan abraad. Transparency International se wi a wan a di moos korop konchrii in di hool worl.   
• A pyoor laalisnis aal ova di konchrii: Di polis kyaahn salv di kraim; dem so bruutal dat dem tarcharin di sospek dem, an nof taim dem doohn bada ares piipl fos, dem jos kil dem so.
• Di ministaz dem an som ada big wan vaiyooleet di Kanstichuushan nof taim; wach hou:

ü  Dem kech di Minista fo Fainans a spen monii aldoo di Parliament no aproov it, an

ü  Di Atornii Genaral vais ge kech pon a mashiin.  Ii bin a chretn Kaieteur News. Plos, ii se ii noo bout wan taim wen President Ramotar paas monii fo ge di laa pon ii an ii fren said.   

A nof mo breeznnis di PPP kyari aan wid 22 yeer nou, sins dem de in powa. Bot Novemba 10 bin di wos. Di konchri jos lef in limbo kaaz nobadi na noo wen Parliment gon kaal bak. Di PPP don wid diimakrasi. Hou yu kud gat diimakrasi if yu na gat no Parliament? Di PPP minority government tek dem aiz an paas di Gaiyniiz piipl. Dem plan fo stee in powa doohn keer wa.

Aal a wi wa sain dis ya petition a piipl wa konsorn bout di situueeshan in di konchrii. Wi wahn Gaiyniiz piipl wa de oom an dem wa de a farin fo stan pon wi said. Plos wi wahn ada piipl from di riijan an outsaid di riijan fo stan pon wi said. Wi wahn alyu  fo help wi kaal pon President Ramotar fo set op bak di Parliment laik hou wan diimakrasi supooz fo wok an na wees no moo taim.  A hai taim dem staat fo streetn out di kanstichuushan fo mek shoor no mo govament kyaahn plee dikteeta!

(Ms. Wilkinson is currently a lecturer in the Department of Language and Cultural Studies at the University of Guyana.  Her chief areas of interest are in the literary arts and teaching creative writing and drama. She is now actively involved in language rights advocacy.)

The following link contains an audio file for the the written petition.

https://soundcloud.com/bertitude/guyanese-citizens-petition-for-the-return-to-democracy-in-guyana