WITHOUT evidence being presented to date, Presidential Candidate of the coalesced APNU+AFC party, Brigadier (retd) David Granger, sold to Barticians on Sunday evening a “hearsay” claim which accuses people of buying National Identification (ID) Cards in the lead-up to General and Regional Elections, slated for May 11.This claim initially surfaced a few months ago, and was first raised by members of the APNU+AFC coalition who accused supporters of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) of buying ID Cards and, in some instances, have employers force employees to surrender same.

In similar fashion, the coalition’s Unity Rally, which was taken to the mining township of Bartica last Sunday, heard this claim being peddled by Granger as he addressed a crowd of just over four thousand persons in registering his concerns about the issuing and selling of ID Cards in the region.

Granger said he had heard that ID Cards were being issued to “people of different nationalities in Region Seven”, and he accused those responsible for issuing ID Cards of selling them, stating that, “anybody want ID card can go and buy one.”

Granger also said, “I hear some business people are buying ID Cards and taking the ID Cards from their employees.”

Lacking the evidence to support these claims, however, Granger’s comment has been labelled as “hearsay” by youth candidates of the coalition, just Friday last at the APNU+AFC’s weekly press conference.

Preceding Granger’s ID Card claim, other members of the coalition had registered their disgust at same, with some even taking their outcry to social media.
The most recent instance of this involved youth candidate of the coalition, James Bond, whose Facebook post read: “Just got word that a prominent businessman in the horse racing fraternity of Berbice is buying ID cards, and also threatening to fire any employee that votes, since he thinks they are voting for APNU+AFC.

“My people of the Corentyne, go and put your X by the Palm with the Key; If they fire you, we will get jobs for you.”

Quizzed by the media last Friday at an APNU+AFC weekly press conference, youth candidate of the coalition, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, told reporters that the ID card claims by the coalition were built entirely on “hearsay.”

Sarabo-Halley admitted there was not a single piece of evidence to support the claim that has long been peddled by elements within the coalition.

Additionally, fellow youth candidate of the coalition, Mark Ross, responded negatively to the question of supporting evidence. Ross explained to reporters that, “to date, all we’ve had are complaints that there have been attempts to do so.”

However, he noted that the coalition has advised that people explore the option of recording these conversations on their cellular phones, which would provide a basis for these allegations. To date, they have come up empty handed in this regard.

But the APNU+AFC leader advised that people “be careful” on May 11, and make sure that while their families are registered to vote, they should go the extra mile and ensure that there are “no bogus votes” being cast on elections day.

“You have to be alert” Granger told the gathering. “Every single polling station must have an opposition presence.”

Delivering feature addresses to supporters at the rally were Prime Ministerial Candidate of the coalition, Moses Nagamootoo; Bartician businesswoman Kamla Persaud; and list candidates Raphael Trotman and Simona Broomes.