PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar yesterday slammed the PNCR’s questioning of the credibility of the voters’ list and its claims that its scrutineers were unable to do their job during the recent house-to-house registration owing to non-payment of stipends as misleading.
At a media briefing at Freedom House, Robb Street, Ramotar, responding to an article published in the Kaieteur News on August 30, said the PPP was surprised that the PNCR said it might not take part in the local government elections as its position remained unchanged on the credibility of the new voters’ list.
The PNCR’s claim that the credibility of the voters’ list would be in question, Ramotar said, was “totally misleading since the process of registration requires that before a transaction is completed the two scrutineers, from the ruling party and the opposition, must sign the forms. They have to be present throughout the process.”
Ramotar said the PNCR’s claims seem to be the beginning of a campaign to discredit the work of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and to create the conditions to give itself an excuse in case it decides not to face the elections.
“The fact is that the PNCR is seriously afraid of going to those elections. It does not have the confidence that it would do well.
This is the only explanation that can account for what is obviously a falsification by the PNCR,” he said adding that if the PNCR story has any merit then it is morally bound to return the taxpayers’ money. “Clearly this is a case of taking money under false pretence,” he said.
Calling on the PNCR to stop its obstructive behaviour and let all work proceed for the early holding of the local government elections, he said that for some time now the PNCR has been doing everything possible to hold back local government elections. He said that as soon as one of the party’s demands was met it quickly tried to engineer another to cast doubt, slow down or prevent the process.
Meanwhile, Ramotar also extended best wishes to all Guyanese, especially the Amerindian community in particular on the occasion of Amerindian Heritage Month. He said Amerindians have a lot to celebrate and that in a short space of time they have improved their conditions of life greatly with many occupying high positions in government and in other areas, and studying in the highest institutions of learning at home and abroad on government scholarships.
He also extended sympathy to the families and communities of the children who died in the fire at the Waramadong Secondary School Hostel in Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) and the child who died after falling into a pit latrine at the Santa Rosa Primary School.
The PPP, he said, believed that the best way the families and communities could honour their memories was to ensure that a redoubling of commitment to education, one of the most important means of development.
He also congratulated the government and people of Guyana on the successful hosting of Carifesta X stating that the efforts of the Guyana government and the great support from Guyanese took the regional cultural extravaganza to new heights.
