By Johann Earle
Riot police were called out to a PPP/C meeting last evening at Stabroek Market Square, where three persons were arrested and others were forcibly removed after being accused of disruptive behaviour.
A senior police officer, who was present at the rally, denied reports of physical assaults by lawmen, while explaining that the arrests were made after supporters of APNU turned up and tried to disrupt the meeting. There was one case, he said, where a policewoman held on to a female and they fell and the girl was pulled away.
Following the disruption at a PPP/C meeting on Wednesday, where one man was allegedly doused with kerosene, police announced that ranks working at meetings have been advised “to take firm action” to avoid situations getting out of hand.
This reporter witnessed a male police officer in khaki uniform roughly handling a young woman in an attempt to detain her and she fell. At this point, the police warned the reporter to back off, pushing him away in the process. Earlier, this reporter saw at least two other persons being taken away by the police in a less confrontational manner. Two trucks of riot police were later summoned to the scene.
Before the start of the meeting, at around 6pm, supporters of APNU were slowly gathering in the area. Some of them had flyers with presidential candidate David Granger, while some were decked out in APNU t-shirts.
Speakers at the meeting included President Bharrat Jagdeo and PPP/C presidential candidate Donald Ramotar, among others. During the speeches of all of the speakers, the loud chants of “Granger! Granger!” at times drowned out the presentations.
As the crowd grew louder, the police took a harder line and demanded that they cease shouting and remove themselves from the area. Some of the protesters stood their ground and as a result, they were hauled off before being arrested.
In his presentation, Jagdeo berated APNU for being unable to present its plans and programmes for governing the country. “How come a party, eight days before the elections, cannot say what it plans to do? How can this party be taken seriously?” APNU launched its manifesto in New Amsterdam last evening.
The President continued to praise Ramotar as presidential material and touted the potential development to be had from the new government fibre-optic cable, the One Laptop Per Family project and the Amaila Falls Hydro-Electric Project.
Ramotar, meanwhile, said that when the PNC was in government, it ran down the education sector and he promised that within five years, Guyana would have achieved universal secondary education. Playing the part as chairman of the meeting, Presidential Adviser on Empowerment Odinga Lumumba said that when the PPP/C came into power, Guyana “was the duncest country in the Caribbean.” For this, he was greeted with boos.
“We won’t beat our chest…but we want you to open your eyes,” he said, urging those who might be supporting of another party to support the PPP/C.
Minister of Public Service Dr. Jennifer Westford said that the people should stop listening to those peddling lies to them. She noted that they can see the achievements of the PPP/C for themselves.
Citing one example of the progress that has been made, she said that in the past health centres were staffed by nurses only. Now, she said, they are staffed by doctors out of the contingents of those sent to study medicine in Cuba.
“We are about development and progress,” she said. “This party is about peace and prosperity.” She urged supporters to send a message that they would not be intimidated anymore, making a reference to the incident alleged to have occurred in Victoria on Wednesday night.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee said that Georgetown is not the preserve of the PNC and said that the PPP/C is consolidating support in the city and other places. He called the melting pot of cultures and peoples found in the Stabroek Market a microcosm of what the situation is in Guyana. He said that the PPP/C contributes to the spirit of development and togetherness that prevails. “This country needs leadership of a high quality…leadership with vision…leadership that is proactive,” he said.
But the heckling became louder at this stage, with one woman shouting, “y’all could talk cheese…we ain’t voting fuh y’all.”
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon took the podium and said that the people of Guyana would not be ungrateful and give their vote to any party but the PPP/C. “We will have the most resounding victory [at the November 28 polls]. We have been able to bring people together,” he said.
