The opposition People’s Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/C) has condemned what it says are threats by Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson after he declared that there would be a stepping up of efforts to prosecute officials for alleged wrongdoing under the former government.
Patterson made the declaration in a post on his Facebook page on Thursday, in response to the decision by the opposition to boycott President David Granger’s address to the National Assembly.
Patterson said he would support any citizen’s right to peaceful protest and also acknowledged that the constituents of the current government had boycotted the National Assembly while in opposition. However, he added that they never boycotted any of the former presidents’ addresses to the National Assembly since they always respected the office.
“That’s not to say that we agreed with anything that they said, however, the respect and courtesy… was always extended to the office of the president,” he added.
Patterson went on to say that he had “mixed feelings” on the natural consequences of the boycott, while noting that he was saddened that the opposition would be boycotting one of the main avenues for “greater inclusion” in the affairs of government.
“While on the other hand, what happens next is entirely due to the opposition’s actions today—the kid gloves will be taken off since an unwritten line will be crossed–the actions which the general public have been demanding (punishment for crimes of corruption) will go into a higher gear, building cases against alleged corrupt officials will now be at the forefront,” he wrote, while adding that he supports such actions and the boycott will strengthen the efforts of those seeking to ensure justice is done.
In a response on Friday, the PPP/C, in a statement said it wished to remind both Patterson and the government that it will stand with and represent the people of Guyana at every turn without fear or favour. “The PPP/C has withstood the worst of the Burnham years, where jailing and the killing political opponents were the norm. Like then, the PPP/C will not be silenced now,” it added.
It characterised Patterson’s post as being evidence of “political power run amok” and “a return to the Burnhamesque ways of silencing political opponents,” while also calling on the international community to take note of “these grave threats.”
The PPP/C boycotted the president’s address to protest against his suspension of Public Service Commission Chairman Carvil Duncan, which it calls an “executive abuse of power.”