Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan on Friday promised Berbicians that he will ensure a peaceful local government elections period through the police and other networks which he has readily available.
The minister, who at the time was speaking at a community outreach held on the Corentyne said, “We are going to ensure through the police and the other networks that we have at hand that it is going to be … very peaceful, and all the intimidation and threats that are coming our way simply because we are getting into territories that people feel they get transport for, we are going to ensure not withstanding all of that, it will be peaceful”.
According to the minister, the opposition is getting very annoyed because his party is fearlessly contesting in the opposition’s strongholds. He said, “They used to say that we don’t matter, well you see what is happening here, we matter and we matter in a very big way. For all of them who are trying to bring court actions and when they (get) dismissed they cussing up the judges, that’s not proper, that’s not fit and proper. You can’t carry the matter to court and when you lose you jump and you say that the judge ain’t good and the police take this, they saying that the police was instructed by Ramjattan to give (a) report to the judge, as if the judge would not have known that the report might have been affected by that, when they lose they are bad losers, that’s Anil Nandlall and of course (Opposition Leader Bharrat) Jagdeo”, he said.
He warned the gathering filled with AFC members and supporters, “These are the people that are going to come hard and talk all kinds of nonsense, do not believe them”. He said, “If you want to know the truth believe the Berbicians, (Prime Minister Moses) Nagamootoo of course and of course Ramjattan”.
Meanwhile, the minister further told the gathering, that his government has kept their promise to hold local government elections once they gained office. “This coalition government will be the only government that will be having two local government elections in the first term in office”, he pointed out.
According to Ramjattan, they plan to ensure that the cultivation of future leaders in relation to the management of local and central government will start. “… and that is what I think our opponents, especially the PPP, are very much afraid of”. He added, “They do not want people to know how to govern themselves. They want people to live in ignorance and that is why for 24 years we only had it (local government elections) one time during their 24 years and thank God for that great man (late PPP/C President) Dr. (Cheddi) Jagan in 1994 we had it one time”.
Meanwhile, Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin, who also spoke at the community outreach said that the People’s Progressive Party has had control of most of the neighbourhood democratic councils in Region Six, however, “most … are not functioning and are not delivering”, he said.
He added, “We are not telling you who to vote for, we know who you go vote for but we are telling you to vote for your communities, vote for what is best for your communities, vote for fit and proper people to manage your community”.
Opposition Leader, Jagdeo on Friday held a community meeting in neighbouring Whim Village, Corentyne, which coincided with the AFC’s community outreach. Gaskin, referring to that meeting, said, “That man over there, I don’t know what he’s telling the people. I don’t know if he come to beg back, sorry for not holding local government elections for all these decades or they holding it now and we want to contest, so please vote for us, I don’t know how that message will go down”.
According to Gaskin, “That is the nature of politics and that is the nature of that particular political party. They did not see fit to allow you to select representatives to manage your own communities for all those years. They wanted nothing to do with that. They wanted to control from above and keep you down, keep you begging, keep you dependent and keep you under control”.
He also noted, that the opposition attempted to take his party to court to discredit their list but that initiative only showed that “any fool could go to court”.
