…party denies allegations, GECOM to probe

THE People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) on Monday set up tents in near polling stations around East Berbice Corentyne, ostensibly to help their voters, but the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Alliance For Change (AFC) and United Republican Party (URP) are alleging that voters were intimidated and harassed by agents of that party.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Gladwin Allicock, an outgoing Councillor of Rose Hall Town, said he received several reports from people within the town that there were PPP members inside the polling station compound coercing members of the constituency to vote for them. He continued that initially he felt it was just someone trying to create strife, but upon investigation he saw firsthand the “unscrupulous behaviour of a PPP candidate.”

“When I went into my constituency to vote at the Lower Corentyne School, Constituency Six, I saw the candidate for the PPP inside the compound and I heard him campaigning, his exact words were “I am asking for your support, vote for me”. One of the voters became annoyed and raised his voice and he then walked out the compound,” Allicock related.

He has since spoken to the party officials at the school and lodged an official complaint to the returning officer stationed at the Rose Hall Town Primary School. He further noted that at another polling station in Williamsburg, he noticed another PPP candidate sitting inside the polling station on the desk with the party agents for over 10 minutes and after he raised concerns with the police, the candidate left the area.

A United Republican Party counting agent has also told the Guyana Chronicle that the PPP/C supporters and representatives were harassing residents of Rose Hall Town and its environs on the streets leading up to the polling stations. “The PPP people them keep telling everybody to vote for them as they pass by and some even making smart comments to intimidate people especially the young voters,” he said.

Whim
Meanwhile, over in Whim, one of the candidates for the AFC said they too experienced similar behavior from the supporters of the PPP in the Whim/Bloomfield district. According to Rashree Permaul, the PPP representatives were approaching residents as they were about the meet the polling stations and were taking their identification cards to verify their names are on the list and leading them to the polling station thereafter.

She explained that while that process seems helpful, the problem is where the supporters make comments like “put it next to the cup” and “PPP all the way”, that cause the issue since there should be no campaigning on elections day. She further noted that some voters told them the entire process made them felt uneasy and pressured.

Mischief afoot
Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, who is performing duties as President and also a native of Whim, on Monday called out supporters of the PPP/C over the reported acts of intimidation at Whim/Bloomfield in East Berbice-Corentyne. Moments after casting his ballot at the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal, Georgetown, Mr. Nagamootoo told reporters that mischief was afoot in the Whim/Bloomfield Local Authority Area (LAA).

According to reports reaching the Guyana Chronicle, PPP/C supporters, having voted, stood outside of several polling stations and were instructing persons to vote for the PPP/C.“I have received also a complaint that not only is there a steady turn out of voters in one area, (but) in one area you have a turnout of PPP picketers who obviously didn’t have their picket today but they are in several parts in close proximity to polling stations,” the Prime Minister told reporters.

He pointed out that on Sunday night, in an effort to “drive fear in and intimidate residents, the PPP/C supporters in another desperate and ridiculous move, erected a huge banner with the words “Moses Nagamootoo is no longer welcome in Whim – his birth place.” Mr. Nagamootoo said it is time the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) intervenes as he pointed to an earlier incident of an arson attempt on the house of an Alliance for Change (AFC) candidate in the Whim/Bloomfield Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).

The candidate, Rashree Permaul, had accused PPP/C supporter Safraz Beekham of launching the vicious attack, after he had threatened her on numerous occasions in recent times. “So you have that report of some levels of intimidation and we are hoping that the elections commission looks into this, because this is an area where not only candidates complain about being terrorised and threatened – a home of a candidate was almost torched,” Mr. Nagamootoo said.

PPP denies
In an invited comment PPP’s Regional Representative Zamal Hussain, refuted the allegations and said it is “misinformation” being peddled. “Indeed we have a tent in the area but we use it to help our voters to make the process easy and smooth and we know our voters so it is misinformation that is being peddled. The police were called in to remove the tent but we are within our rights to help our people,” Hussain said.

He noted also, his party representatives were only responsible for getting voters out and to the polling stations. The alleged incidents were reported to have happened during the morning hours and were quickly resolved. Barring these few incidents voting across Region Six was relatively smooth and peaceful.