Attorney-at-law and director of Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc (TIGI) Gino Persaud was yesterday verbally abused and threatened while holding a one-man counter-protest to that being held by members of the PPP/C in front of the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) headquarters in Kingston, Georgetown.
A few members of the PPP yesterday once again held a protest calling for a total recount of votes and the resignation of Gecom Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally following the recently held elections. The party claims the elections were rigged and it was cheated.
Persaud told Stabroek News yesterday during an interview that he was heading to his office located not far away from where the protest was being held when he glimpsed some of the placards. Noticing former prime minister Sam Hinds, former ministers and other officials of the PPP protesting, he decided to get his own placard. It bore the words: “The back of PPP corruption is broken.”
He noted that he did not join them but rather counter-protested by himself.
Persaud said that being an individual who has been involved in anti-corruption work for the past five years, the defeat of the PPP is viewed as victory for him and the entire anti-corruption movement. He said the reason for his counter protest was to highlight the hypocrisy of the PPP.
However, his stance did not sit well with the PPP members and the young attorney was subjected to a torrent of verbal abuse. Persaud said he did not react because the insults were quite absurd. “They were shouting all sorts of slangs at me but paid no heed because the PPP track record on corruption is terrible and they have been nothing but scandalous throughout their years in government,” Persaud said.
He also informed this newspaper that at one point some of the protestors attempted to charge at him and he had to be protected by the police. He even heard threats such as, “he must get shoot down because he is a fool.”
He said some of abuse thrown at him included that from PPP activist Romel Roopnarine who said: “Gino must go, Gino and TGIF supported rigged elections.” PPP Executive Committee member Indra Chandarpal, he said, described him as an “idiot” who was focusing on an entirely different issue.
“What they are doing is a scam and it is designed to fool the Guyanese people that they have been cheated and not defeated,” noted Persaud.
