– in clear violation of COVID-19 guidelines
The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) seems to be grasping on to every last straw to stay in power following its defeat at the March 02, 2020 polls. The latest move is one that would see members of the coalition fanning out across the country this Sunday to meet with supporters.
Based on the schedule, seen by Guyana Times, the public meetings are expected to commence at 9:30h across Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).
In Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) AFC executive and caretaker Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson is expected to speak at Parika, East Bank Essequibo from 09:30h, and Philadelphia New Primary School in Vergenoegen from 13:00 on Sunday.
However, when contacted, the former minister refused to confirm whether he would be speaking at the scheduled outreaches.
Meanwhile, PNC General Secretary Amna Ally and Executive Members Joseph Harmon, Christopher Jones and Ronald Bulkan are also scheduled to speak at these meetings.
The outreaches as scheduled in villages such as Crane, Den Amstel, De Kindren and Uitvlugt on the West Coast of Demerara; and on the West Bank of Demerara in Phoenix Park, Goed Intent, Bagotville and Parfaite Harmonie.
However, when contacted, General Secretary of the APNU, Amna Ally, also took the stance of not confirming or denying the outreach.
Amna Ally
“That is the Coalition’s business. We have a programme and we will execute that programme. I am not confirming nor denying what you would have heard. Whatever it is, it is the Coalition’s business,” Ally said during a telephone conversation.
Additionally, efforts to contact Harmon and Bulkan proved futile. Nevertheless, these public meetings are clearly in violation of the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the National Task Force. The guideline specifically stated that there should be no public gathering of more than ten persons in one space.
Attempts to contacts the COVID-19 National Task Force were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, based on the results from the National Recount, the APNU/AFC Coalition was defeated by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) at the March 2 General and Regional Elections, but has been refusing to accept defeat. Instead, the coalition, through its agents, has been delaying the declaration of the elections results via several court challenges.
According to a national recount of the ballots, the PPP/C won the March 2, polls with 233,336 votes cast in its favour. APNU/AFC secured 217,920 votes, while the smaller parties – A New and United Guyana – 2313; Change Guyana –1953; Liberty and Justice Party – 2657; People’s Republic Party – 889; The Citizen’s Initiative – 680; The New Movement – 244; and the United Republican Party – 360.
Instead, the coalition has been adamant that the declaration by the 10 Returning Officers – inclusive of the fraudulent declarations by Returning Officer for District Four (Clairmont Mingo) – must be used as a basis for the declaration of the results.
Mingo had inflated the APNU/AFC numbers by over 19,000 while deducting over 3000 votes from the PPP/C.
