Attempts to suppress democracy

There seems on the part of APNU/AFC, efforts to prevent the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPPC) campaign messages from being heard. Recently, a public meeting organised by the PPP/C at Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara was disrupted by a number of persons who are representatives of APNU/AFC.
During those moments of seemingly wanton intimidation, slated speakers and persons affiliated to the PPP/C were fearful in the face of what confronted them. It appears that the Police presence did not deter those with the sole intent of disrupting the proceedings. In the end, the PPP/C was forced to abandon the meeting.
A similar incident occurred a few weeks ago in Mocha on the East Bank of Demerara. In addition, there were numerous incidents whereby persons outfitted with APNU/AFC’s jerseys and waving the coalition’s flags disrupted a number of other PPP/C’s public meetings in parts of the country.
In Linden, not only was a meeting disrupted, but former President Samuel Hinds had to be escorted away as firecrackers were set off in proximity of his presence. These incidents are aside from those where PPP/C flags and symbols were removed and desecrated by person supportive of APNU/AFC.
To date, and very noticeable, President David Granger, who is campaigning on the platform of decency, honesty and leadership for all Guyanese, remains silent on what the PPP/C has been subjected to with regard to some of its public meetings.
Those deliberate acts of intimidation prevented ordinary Guyanese from hearing how they could once again benefit from a PPP/C Government which has a proven track record and which has been imparting visionary plans to return Guyana and Guyanese to prosperity.
Clearly, by disrupting the PPP/C meetings, APNU/AFC is acting in contravention of its campaign theme. In other words, it is glaringly dishonest for the coalition to try and subvert the democratic right of the PPP/C to campaign in villages believably supportive of the Government. It is even more dishonest to speak of honesty in the face of the indecency in question meted out to the PPP/C by APNU/AFC.
Mr Granger’s silence could be interpreted in a manner that suggests that he and the APNU/AFC coalition condone those actions, and, by extension, offer encouragement for similar ones. During the recently concluded Calypso competition, one contestant, as part of his act, was seen placing a PPP/C flag in a garbage bag in keeping with APNU/AFC’s campaign song.
While one could allude to freedom of expression and creative licence, what would have been the reaction had a contestant placed the image of Mr Granger in a garbage bag? Most, if not all of the songs were pro-APNU/AFC and, in many instances, were derogatory to the PPP/C and its General Secretary.
That could bring into question the requirements of the competition. In that context, it could be asked if an unofficial requirement was for songs to be supportive of and to glorify the Government.
These attempts to suppress the messages of the PPP/C are not in isolation of what appears to be a more sinister plot. APNU/AFC used the residency requirement in an effort to have thousands of persons removed from the voters’ list. Just recently, the Appeal Court unanimously upheld the Chief’s Justice’s decision against it.
Had the coalition been successful, thousands of Guyanese, including many suspected of being supportive of the PPP/C, would have been disenfranchised. The pattern and intent of APNU/AFC’s action, therefore, seems irrefutable.
Following the December 21, 2018, No-Confidence Motion (NCM), it was very clear that the coalition did not want to hold elections and worked diligently, even disingenuously, to have that desire realised. This view could be vindicated by the fact that the March 2 elections are held one year after they were constitutionally due.
In that said context, Mr Granger is accused of not wanting to have free and fair elections following his unilateral and unconstitutional appointment of the immediate past Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). What would have been the reaction had a PPP/C President done that?
Not relenting, reportedly, a court case, intended to force the Leader of the Opposition to reveal the qualifications of the PPP/C’s Presidential Candidate has been filed. This seems all part of an APNU/AFC calculated plan to try and subvert the will of the Guyanese people through intimidation and delaying tactics; historical characteristic of the People’s National Congress of which Mr Granger is the Leader.
That aside, falsehoods on the part of APNU/AFC especially during this campaign, have not gone unnoticed. With a new boast of establishing ten new housing schemes since in office, that propensity seems unbridled as its response of not using state resources to campaign despite the evidence of the army helicopter being used.
The honest thing for the coalition to do is to name the housing schemes and explain the pictures of the President exiting the helicopter on various occasions.