Dear Editor,
In the marketplace of ideas, no single individual or political party enjoys a monopoly.
This is why all political parties must be given that right to be heard, regardless of how we as individuals may feel or wish to interpret that message. It is our right to accept or reject what is being said but at the very least the right to free speech must be respected.
This is why the hostility displayed by supporters of the APNU+AFC and the vandalization of campaign materials in support of the PPP/Civic must not be condoned and condemned by all those who cherish the ideals of free and open speech.
Let us keep the campaign clean and civil.
The pelting of vehicles with bricks and other missiles and the breaking up of meetings as reportedly happened in Sophia is not consistent with the norms of acceptable behaviour and every effort must be made to prevent it from happening again.
We must never allow a situation to develop where politicians are being harassed, beaten and in some cases forced to run for their lives for daring to appear on opposition platforms.
The days when hooligan elements from the House of Israel and other rogue elements broke up political meetings with impunity must never be allowed to rear its ugly head again in this beautiful land.
Political meetings are an integral part of our political culture.
It is also an effective way of communicating with the electorate. This form of communication was recognised over twenty three hundred years ago by the Greek philosopher Aristotle who, in his writings on politics established that humans are political animals who are gifted with the faculty of reason and that politics and communication go hand in hand because they are essential components of our human make up.
As we approach voting day on May 11, let a million ideas bloom. In the final analysis, it is the Guyanese electorate who will have the last word on voting day.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
