Just over 100 APNU+AFC supporters took to the streets of New Amsterdam yesterday in a march to press Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson Claudette Singh to declare the coalition the winner of the 2020 general and regional elections and they were told to prepare for a long fight.
They gathered in front of GECOM’s office, located in New Amsterdam, after which they marched to the APNU+AFC’s office, located on the Waterside in New Amsterdam, as they shouted “Nandlall say fraud is fraud” and “Only valid votes must count.”
While an agreed national recount has shown that the opposition PPP/C has won the March 2 polls, APNU+AFC has alleged that cases of voter impersonation have discredited the results.
The COVID-19 emergency measures put in place prohibits large gatherings in public places but despite this the supporters were aided by police ranks as they marched through New Amsterdam. The police facilitated the protesters by diverting traffic. One rank was even noticed walking in front of the protest all the way to the office, while a police van was also in front throughout the journey.
However, the Guyana Police Force later issued a statement saying that “no permission was granted for anyone to flout the Covid-19 Orders.” In the statement, the police said a group of persons had gathered along Main Street, New Amsterdam, Berbice in an attempt to conduct a protest march. “The police quickly arrived at the location and dispersed the crowd, having been told by the Deputy Commander via “loud hailer” that they had no police permission to conduct such activity,” it said.
The statement added that police were able to identify a number of individuals in the gathering and summons are being prepared for charges against them for breach of the COVID-19 restrictions.
However, some police officers on the ground told this newspaper that they were sent out to “handle the traffic.”
The protesters used the Strand on the Waterside to get to the APNU+AFC’s office. Since the New Amsterdam Market, car parks, commercial banks and some major super-markets are all located along the road, it is one of the busiest roads in New Amsterdam. The police ranks ordered the traffic to the shoulders of the road to allow the procession to proceed unencumbered, although it was going in the opposition direction along the road, which is a one-way during the daytime.
Commander of Region Six Calvin Brutus yesterday also told Stabroek News that there was no permission granted for the protest. He further said his deputy was sent with the Public Order Unit to disperse the crowd and he was told that the unit did not go into operation since the gathering complied.
However, when informed that ranks were clearing the traffic to allow the march, Brutus was puzzled and said, “That is disturbing news.” He then asked whether any footage of this could be provided. After this was done by this publication, Brutus indicated that he would “investigate and take the appropriate action.”
‘Long haul’
Meanwhile, speaking to the gathering at the coalition’s office was APNU+AFC candidate Barbara Pilgrim, who urged the supporters not to give up and to show that they are in it for the “long haul.”
In her address she claimed, that she noticed a lot of discrepancies during the initial counting of the Region Six ballots, which led to her calling for a recount in the region. She said, “We don’t mind if we lose fair but don’t tell me about reasonably credible it has to be credible or not credible.”
Pilgrim added, “I am going to be one to say when the leader [President David Granger] did agree for the recount I did vex. I was mad. I say, ‘Wah happen with this man? Why he agreeing for recount? We did already got the thing in we hand, why we must take recount? But the recount was a learning lesson.”
Pilgrim also said the coalition could have “do the same thing because all those lists were given to us of people who are dead and people who have gone overseas. We could have done the same thing but we did not do it, we couldn’t, not with David Arthur Granger.”
According to her, the president told them that he wanted a clean election, while noting that she has never witnessed what has happened now in all her years of being in politics.
Furthermore, she urged her party’s supporters yesterday to rally behind Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield, saying that he has already submitted his report and that is the only report they are going to accept. Lowenfield has seemingly supported the APNU+AFC’s claims, although a CARICOM observer team has found that the recount of votes and by extension the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections were sufficiently transparent to reflect the will of the Guyanese people and form the basis for the declaration of the results.
“We are not going to give up this easily comrades, so make up your mind that we got a long haul. I want you to stay stiff, stay peaceful and listen to your TVs,” Pilgrim said. “Let’s keep hope alive and lift the hands of David Arthur Granger, let him know that we stand with him 100% and we going down in the trenches with him,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, Pilgrim pleaded with those gathered to only listen to news coming from the party’s officials. “When we say this is so then that is so don’t listen to other people comrades,” she added.
