The PPP/C, declared APNU Prime Ministerial candidate Rupert Roopnaraine in Buxton, ought to be cited for trafficking in persons. What a thing to say! After all the pronouncements and protestations by Minister Priya Manickchand about the government’s excellent record on the subject Dr. Rupert declared that the government is the biggest trafficker in persons. According to the Doctor the practice of moving live humans in trucks, cars and vans to PPP/C political rallies constitutes trafficking in persons.
Not that the PPP/C is unduly bothered over the accusation. They would argue, one supposes that if they can get a crowd of 30,000 people to attend a political rally it really would not matter whether they were bused in from Lusignan, Lethem and Lanaballi. 30,0000 is 30,000. And while the Brigadier has been saying that APNU has not resorted to busing its own crowds in, the only reason why they have not been doing this is because they couldn’t handle those kinds of operations at the current gas prices. The option of course is to provide supporters all across the country with bicycles so that they could get to the rallies. The problem here of course is that India and China are the likeliest givers of those quantities of bicycles and both countries are ‘in tight’ with the government.
Some help, however, may be forthcoming from the Americans. Washington has always been dubious about the administration’s claims that were clean as far as trafficking in persons is concerned. That’s why they have retained us on their Tier Two List. Just to clear up the controversy over the trafficking issue the US Embassy would much prefer to report to Washington that people are cycling to political rallies than that they are being driven hither and tither in state vehicles.
It’s not so much the busing of the people that is bothersome, it’s the pressing into service of assorted state vehicles and drivers. Who’s paying the bills? GuySuCo, for example, is mum on the issue.
