HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon charged, yesterday, that members of the African Cultural Development Association (ACDA) have been holding meetings, at the community level, at which they have been encouraging audiences to engage in insurrection type activities in the event of a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) victory at the November 28 polls.
He said there have been reports of exhortations to insurrection and appeals to racial and religious sentiments.
According to him, incitement on insecurities have been coming out of these meetings held by ACDA and transcripts of these statements have been obtained and are being studied by the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for possible legal action against the perpetrators.
Luncheon disclosed that the incitements to insurrection have all been attributed to prominent members of ACDA and there had not been any reports of similar actions by other Opposition parties, to date.
The HPS made the charges at Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown, during his usual weekly post-Cabinet media briefing.
He said: “Cabinet and Government continues to eschew the utterances of these misguided elements and to urge Guyanese, at this particular time, to avoid extremism and incitement to racial and religious hostility.”
In an update on elections 2011, from its perspective, Luncheon said Cabinet had noted that the political opposition parties, civil society and human rights elements had resorted to a variety of actions to cast disrepute on the decisions of both the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the governing party.
He said the antics of these groups  are felt to be orchestrated and artificial and
betray a palpable opposition to engage fully and appropriately with GECOM and Government.
Cabinet had also noted the rejection of the Code of Conduct  for parties contesting the elections and, to date,  the ruling party is the sole signatory to it.
Luncheon observed that the commitment, public pressure, scrutiny and coercion involved in signing the Code would cause signatories to live up to the expectations.
“But if you don’t sign it, you seem to be rejecting out and out any possibility that you would be held accountable,” he remarked.
Luncheon noted that October 27 is Nomination Day, when all political parties, with intentions of contesting the general and regional elections, will not only be obligated to present their lists of candidates, in accordance with constitutional and statutory requirements, but also to sign the Code of Conduct.

“On October 27, unquestionably political parties would have to put their money where their mouth is. They will have to decide to sign or not to sign.
“And then, GECOM will be the definitive authority to pronounce on the next steps where the recalcitrants are concerned,” he declared.