Guyana’s President David Granger on Saturday defended his decision not to mingle with ordinary working class Guyanese in the United States, saying that he has been advised by the American Secret Service that doing so would expose him to security threats.
The President said sometimes advice is given about walking down a street or go to a certain place and “I take their advice”.
Granger has largely limited his interaction with Guyanese in the United States to upscale hotel ballrooms and conference rooms.
Addressing the 5th Biennial Conference of his People’s National Congress Reform – North American Region – being held this week in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, he responded to criticisms that he has not been engaging ordinary Guyanese in Brooklyn, Queens and Florida as he had done during the 2011 and 2015 general election campaigns.
The President said whenever he travels overseas he makes a deliberate effort to interact with Guyanese.
In Guyana, observers have noted that the President does not spend a long time mingling with ordinary Guyanese at public events and leaves shortly after delivering addresses.
Earlier this year, a man reported to Guyanese police that he was being hired for 7 million Guyana dollars and offered a long black gun to kill Granger. However, police said the evidence was weak and so no one could have been charged.
A recently concluded Commission of Inquiry into the effectiveness of the police probe into the reported allegation has unveiled several administrative weaknesses in the Guyana Police Force.
