A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) yesterday warned against any attempt to stir trouble, while accusing the PPP/C of “misinformation” and “lies” after a disruption at a meeting in Victoria on Wednesday night.
Police later announced that an investigation was ongoing into the reported attack on five PPP/C supporters, who were reportedly assaulted and had kerosene thrown on one of them, after the PPP/C meeting.
In a statement released at a press conference yesterday, APNU said that it was appalled by “unsubstantiated … and distorted lies” and concerned that some media were “reporting lies about PPP/C participants being doused with kerosene.
“We find this to be …very dangerous…” it said.
“We are telling our supporters publicly and privately that we want them to conduct themselves at meetings of other parties with decorum and decency. We expect this from them. We believe that any disruptive activity plays into the hand of the PPP/C and feeds their nasty propaganda about thugs and hooligans and we are urging APNU supporters and villagers in these communities who feel insulted by the PPP to remain calm. The time for revolt is November 28. We want the revolt to take place in the peace and calm of the polling stations,” APNU prime ministerial candidate Rupert Roopnaraine told the press conference.
According to APNU, it was reliably informed that frustrated residents took it upon themselves “to protest the lies spouted by the PPP/C representatives” at the meeting. According to the press statement, residents said that for the past 19 years they have suffered extreme hardships, including, “pervasive poverty, lack of running water, electricity, street lights and lack of job opportunities for the youth of Victoria.”
The statement said witnesses reported that the people voiced their unhappiness by chanting “Granger, Granger” and this caused a PPP/C supporter to fire three shots in the air “in the presence of police.” APNU said that it was concerned that this person was neither questioned nor detained by police.
However, according to police, after Clifton Harris-one of the PPP/C supporters-was doused with kerosene, Ovid Wilson, a licensed firearm holder who was also reportedly attacked, discharged two rounds into the air. Statements were later taken from him at the Cove and John Police Station.
APNU was also concerned that one of its supporter was shoved and slapped in the chest by an officer at the scene and it said that police were attempting to arrest the person for being a ringleader. It called on the police to investigate the shooter and for its supporters not to be harassed, detained or arrested for exercising their democratic rights.
“The APNU wishes to recognise that the residents of Victoria have a long history of independence, courage and contribution to Guyana. We insist that all Guyanese be treated fairly and without regard to race or party affiliation. The people of Guyana must be able to express their voices without fear of reprisal or the stigma of violence stereotypes,” APNU said, while urging the PPP/C to desist from misinforming the Guyanese citizens and the world that its supporters are disruptive at meetings and rallies of the PPP/C.
Meanwhile, Roopnaraine lamented that the police were going after APNU supporters, who he said might have been vigorous at the meeting but not the man who allegedly fired his gun in the air. “It seems as though the police are being instructed by the political authorities on how to deal with issues involving their own activists,” he said.
“We want to make it very clear that the APNU urged its supporters and its activists to remain extremely calm during these elections. It is clear that as we approach the elections the heat is rising, and APNU is more interested in light than in heat,” Roopnaraine said.
“As you know, from the time of the Nomination Day surge, the PPP/C has been designating … people as thugs and hooligans. They went to Buxton… they did the same thing,” Roopnaraine said.
