Female staffer beaten outside Finance Ministry -- Pertab
The Commission of Enquiry into incidents during the 55-day public service strike yesterday wrapped up its investigations into events outside the Ministry of Finance after hearing testimony from several employees. The employees included Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Mahase Pertab; Head of Enterprise Monitoring Division, Denise DeSouza; Special Assistant to the Minister of Finance, Kheedmat Budhu; Principal Assistant Secretary, Bonny Ogle; and Manager of the Tender Board Secretariat, Neermal Rekha. Pertab resuming his testimony which was not concluded at the commission's last hearing on Thursday, told Commissioner, Justice Carl Singh, that he had witnessed two separate assaults carried out by members of the crowd on a member of staff and an executive of an overseas-based organisation. Pertab had testified on Thursday that the gates to the Ministry of Finance had on occasion been padlocked apparently by members of the large crowd that had taken to gathering around there. He had also spoken about seeing a strange man remove a key and unlock a gate and of enquiring from Commissioner of Police, Laurie Lewis, why the man was allowed to do so. This testimony was mistakenly attributed to Pertab's colleague, Accountant General Edward Layne, who also testified on that day. Yesterday, Pertab testified that, on the first occasion, Susan Christian Simon, who is employed as a typist clerk in the ministry, had been attempting to leave the compound at around 1700 hrs when a female striker pounced upon her. Led by counsel to the commission, Mortimer Cumberbatch, Pertab said that the woman began beating Christian with her fists and in the process the two women fell into the nearby drain. Pertab said that he did not know why Christian had been attacked but he understood that there had been an earlier incident when she had attempted to leave and been blocked by a crowd. Pertab said that the police soon intervened and with their help Christian was able to enter the compound. Questioned as to whether the police had made any arrests, Pertab said that he had not seen them take anybody in custody or effect any arrests. He recounted that with the help of two female members of staff, they were able to pin up Christian's torn dress, but that she had asked not to be taken to the hospital. Pertab said that he snuck her out of the compound through the back gate and took her home. He then testified about another incident on May 31, when a noise had attracted his attention causing him to look out into Urquhart Street. He said he witnessed a white gentleman being beaten by four women as he attempted to scale the Urquhart Street fence of the ministry. Pertab said that he later learned that the man was the executive director of the Overseas Development Institute and that he had been on his way to a meeting. Pertab said that while the man was left straddling the fence, he observed a fifth female remove one of the man's shoes and throw it on the nearby railway embankment. The man made it over the fence, minus his shoe. Pertab also touched on an incident on June 10, when vehicle PEE 1738 had made several attempts to enter the compound and been stopped by a crowd of workers. Rekha, one of the vehicle's two occupants, testified that a member of the crowd had opened the left side door of his vehicle while others rocked the vehicle. Rekha said that he had managed to close the door and that another member of the crowd, which numbered between 20 to 25 persons, had advised the others against doing anything to him (Rekha). Rekha recalled that when his driver had originally driven him to the Main Street gates the protesters had been gathered under a tree in the Main Street Avenue. However, in the time it took the guards to locate the key to the gates, the protesters had placed themselves between the gates and the vehicle. It was shortly after this that the vehicle's door was opened and, according to Rekha, the crowd went on to rock the vehicle and attempt to turn it over while chanting "Out de place, No money no wuk." Rekha said that his driver then drove to the Urquhart Street entrance passing through some barriers that nearby police officers removed. However, he said, a number of protesters jumped over the barriers and even pushed one down to follow him and block the other entrance. Again, the guards did not open the gates in time, Rekha said, and he advised his driver to drive away. He recalled that then they began "scouting" around and during this reconnaissance, they met Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ousman Ally, and returned to the ministry with him. Rekha said that they were eventually able to enter the compound but not before the protesters had demanded to see the vehicle's registration papers as they were unconvinced that the vehicle belonged to the ministry. But even the production of a copy of the registration did not seem to satisfy them, Rekha said. Meanwhile, in the morning session, DeSouza took the stand and testified that on two occasions she had been confronted by a crowd of persons outside the Ministry of Finance and had suffered damage to her person and property as a result. DeSouza said that the first incident had been on June 9, when she had parked her car, made her way to the ministry's Main Street entrance and had been physically prevented from entering by a crowd in front of the gates. She said that the crowd was hurling abuse at anyone who approached the gate and that she too was treated this way even after she explained that she was a contract employee who was not on strike and was not going in to do their jobs. The woman recalled that a police van then approached and when the crowd parted to let it through, she had stopped behind it in an attempt to enter. She recounted that a policewoman in the van had gruffly ordered both the crowd and herself not to touch the vehicle and that a police inspector who approached and tried to get her into the van was swarmed by the crowd. DeSouza said that the crowd grabbed her hands and clothes and as a result she suffered scratches on her chin and bruises on her arms. She testified that she aborted that attempt to enter the gate and tried to gain entry through the Urquhart Street entrance. However, she said, the crowd followed her and subjected her to much of the same treatment. She said that around this time she observed two women leaning against her parked car with their hands clasped behind their backs and when she returned to the car she noticed a number of scratches in the same area where they had been leaning. She claimed that she was told by persons in the crowd that she had no right to speak and walk as she did, nor did she have the right to work for her salary and that her car represented someone else's gratuity. They then threatened to throw her into the trench if she tried to return next day. DeSouza said that she kept away on the next day, but the second confrontation came during the next week when she was confronted at the gate by a smaller number of protesters. DeSouza testified that the crowd had been holding the gates closed and had been ordering the ministry's guards, who along with the police were inside the compound, not to open the gates. DeSouza said that she remained in front of the gates, reading a newspaper and when the group's alertness diminished, she again attempted to enter. She said that the crowd quickly pulled the gates closed and she was caught between the two gates, while others tugged at her. DeSouza said that she again suffered scratches about her body and was only able to get into the compound after the crowd gave up their attempts to pull her out. Budhu, who gave evidence after lunch, testified that he had had a confrontation with strikers who were blocking his entry to the ministry. He recalled that, on that occasion, he was addressed with racial slurs. Budhu said that he had honked the horn of the car he was driving in an attempt to get those in front of the car to move away but they were reluctant. He said that he opened his car door and, with one foot still in the car, calmly asked the crowd to move. Budhu said he pointed out that he was not a public servant, nor a member of the public service nor was he a member of any union. After this, he said, the crowd reluctantly let him pass but some of them continued with the racial remarks. He said that he mentally resolved to go to work earlier than usual to avoid these crowds and this met with some success. However, he said that one morning he attempted to enter at around 0710 hrs and was accosted by four strikers, of whom three were female. Budhu testified that he recognised one of the strikers as a member of staff at the ministry. He said he again pleaded with the crowd and was again subjected to abuse before being allowed to pass. He alleged that while passing the staff member had told him that he was lucky that there weren't many of them and others were heard saying "Break the car". Budhu said that on another occasion he had looked out onto Urquhart Street and had seen a number of people with umbrellas making noise and that he had recognised one as another ministry staffer. Budhu said that as he looked down he had been told: "Don't look at us or we gon burn the f***ing building down," or words to that effect. Ogle then testified that during the last half of the strike, some employees were unable to go to work and that those who managed to get in were taunted and cursed by those on the road. Justice Singh indicated at the end of yesterday's session that the commission will next be looking into incidents outside the Inland Revenue Department (IRD). Among those scheduled to testify today are Commissioner of the IRD, Kurshid Sattaur. 
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