The Alliance For Change (AFC) said it is deeply disturbed at the ongoing unrest at Linden and called for the situation to be treated as a national priority.
The party also reiterated its “outright condemnation” of the destruction of all property whether privately or publically owned and called for such acts to be halted.
It said that in light of the escalated tension and reports of lives being threatened and buildings being burnt, it is more imperative that the political parties at the centre of the negotiations, namely the Government and the representatives of Linden, get back to the negotiating table.
The AFC said that it is concerned that the present situation may be used by the Government to delay the implementation of the steps agreed to during the negotiations noting that this makes it even more important for the parties to re-engage.
The AFC said it is deeply disturbed over reports yesterday that children, the elderly and infirm were affected by tear smoke. “We wish to remind the Defence Force of their commitment to operate according to international standards and at the same time call on the Police Force to have due regard for the fundamental and constitutional rights of the citizens at Linden”. In this regard, the AFC advised that the use of tear smoke and other methods of crowd dispersion should be carefully considered and employed only as a measure of last resort.
At the same time, the party called on Lindeners to ensure that their demonstrations are peaceful and it repeated its call for them to guard against criminal elements infiltrating and hijacking their legitimate protest.
The party said that, “every day that President Donald Ramotar fails to go to Linden is a day lost in resolving this situation.”
It said that no other regime of the past has shown “such a callous approach” to a group of the electorate in their time of most need.
“The Donald Ramotar regime has shown it is selective in its approach and one may even say it is vindictive against those who do not support the PPP”, the AFC stated.
It said that the responsibility to have the ongoing situation peaceably resolved rests squarely on the shoulders of the President.
