P.M. Says No Spark for Further Protests

Dean Barrow

The Kelvin Usher story appears to be over for now. But prior to his safe recovery, tension on the streets had ratcheted up considerably. Students from Saint John’s College Junior College had taken to the streets on Wednesday afternoon against police and had threatened more protests. A march was held on Wednesday evening and the vigil scheduled for Thursday evening had been originally intended as more of a protest than the celebration it became. While the Gang Suppression Unit came in for much of the students’ and the nation’s ire for its actions some saw an opportunity for calling out the Government, who they felt did not approach the situation properly. Asked whether that the reaction to the Kelvin Usher saga could fuel anti-Government fire, the Prime Minister conceded that it could, but expressed his belief that nothing else exists for that kind of explosion.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“That’s one way of looking at it. Another is that while undoubtedly there are matters that vex the populace – and in any administration there will always be matters that vex the populace – absent something like this to light that sort of a spark, I don’t think you would have seen the taking to the streets that we saw. I really believe that this was such a hugely incendiary issue that it did what no other issue certainly that’s extant, that is now in focus could have done. To the extent that there are those who don’t want to let go of a good thing, from their point of view, and will still insist on mounting their vigils and making their representations – that is their right; that is as it should be. I suspect that because, though, those with a particular political axe to grind, are in the minority, there will be nothing like the kind of support that this issue clearly was generating.”