Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday said the PPP/C will soon file a complaint with the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) over claimed threats made by State Minister Joseph Harmon to PPP supporters who work in government agencies and those serving on Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs).
“That threat that Harmon made to PPP supporters cannot go unanswered… we intend to pursue it through every means possible,” Jagdeo told at a press conference.
The comments were reported in a demerarawaves.com article on a ‘Love and Unity’ rally held in Sophia on Saturday, during which Harmon and other members of the the APNU+AFC coalition government spoke.
Jagdeo stated that the contents of the report, headlined ‘“No more Mr. Nice Time”: APNU targets PPP supporters, NDCs that sabotage government- Harmon’’ warranted his “urgent” response given the implications for unity “among our people” as well as national development.
Jagdeo, who himself has long been criticised for sowing divisions, added that the “incendiary nature of his [Harmon’s] speech, could affect ethnic and political harmony.”
According to the report, Harmon, during his address to an estimated 150 persons gathered at the ‘C’ Field, Sophia playground, said it was time for the coalition to consolidate itself and he warned that central government would no longer tolerate the PPP-controlled NDCs, such as those in Region Three, which he said are neglecting villages that are government strongholds.
“The people are saying to us: Aren’t we in government? Well, I want you all to know that we are in government and that foolishness got to stop. No NDC, because it’s controlled by the PPP, will take government money and just spend it on PPP areas. It’s got to stop and we are going to work and fix that. We are not going to accept that,” he was quoted as saying.
In response, Jagdeo yesterday told reporters that this was the minister’s pathetic attempt to justify “the massive defeat that they suffered at local government elections.” He charged that Harmon did not stop at only blaming PPP supporters and PPP-controlled NDCs for the lack of delivery of good and services to the people but went further when he issued a direct threat to a large number of people on the basis of their political affiliation.
“We intend to pursue this seriously through various bodies because here is a key policymaker, a central figure in the Office of the President who at a political rally indicates that he intends to target PPP-held or controlled NDCs and PPP supporters who work in the government…,” Jagdeo stressed.
He said in the coming days a complaint will be lodged at ERC and thereafter the next course of action will be decided on by the party. The international community will also be made aware of the issue, he added.
“We would like the Ethnic Relations Commission to have a full-fledged investigation of this matter,” he said.
Jagdeo pointed out that while Harmon is claiming that PPP-controlled democratic councils are stymieing the work of the government, “they have tolerated their REO and councillors not only being disruptive of the RDC meetings but the corruption that exists, unbelievable levels of corruption.” He questioned who was stymieing the work in Linden, a government stronghold.
He charged that the coalition members went to Sophia with another set of excuses and attempted to blame the PPP supporters and the PPP-controlled NDCs for their incompetence and failure to deliver.
Jagdeo, while questioning the need for the rally, opined that “it has to be that they do have problems within… massive division and they needed to unite themselves because they didn’t go there to unite the people of Guyana, they didn’t go to unite the people in Sophia. The message were all about themselves.”
