– says there is zero tolerance for post election disruptions
THE upcoming General and Regional Elections are not a do or die event, according to the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) spokesman, Robert Persaud, who added that Guyana, as well as the international community, has zero tolerance for post election disruptions. “Guyanese have no stomach for post elections disruptions,” he said yesterday at a press briefing at Freedom House.
He said there is not a sense of hostility in the air among ordinary Guyanese, compared to prior elections.
“If you step out to Regent Street today there is not a sense of hostility and not what you would have felt 10 years ago or so on the eve of elections…it is a totally different environment and totally different mindset,” he said.
Persaud stressed that Guyanese see the elections as a necessary process to consolidate Guyana’s democracy.
He said, “People are not seeing this as a do or die event.”
On Wednesday, the PPP/C called for overt and subtle attempts at inciting division, exciting tension and undermining the atmosphere of peace on the basis of race and religion by some political factions, to be resisted by all Guyanese and prevent a descent into anarchy.
Building on this contention, Persaud observed that the Guyanese people have matured as a nation.
“Whether our political leaders have grown to that maturity is a different issue, but I hope the political leaders are at least responsible,” he said.
Persaud added that General and Regional Elections are about people’s democratic will to choose leaders, a will that must be respected.
“Those who preach if we lose, or if we don’t win, they must realise that they will have to live with the consequences of such messages,” he said.
Persaud referred to politicians being arrested for peddling hate speeches and pointed to an incident in Kenya last year when three politicians were arrested over hate speech charges.
Kenyan Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere  accused political camps of engaging in hate speech and three were arrested, MPs Fred Kapondi, Joshua Kutuny, and Assistant Minister for Roads Wilfred Machage.
Robert said, “We saw where the International Criminal Court came in, people including ministers and including media operatives. They were all charged…we see that the world’s tolerance, international community’s tolerance to people saying ‘If I don’t win we will bruk up’, it won’t
work.”
Persaud called for all stakeholders to recognize that Guyana has a democratic system, a system that was returned to Guyana after decades when Guyanese were disenfranchised.
“The international community has recognized that we have matured and they are here and will see what is taking place…,” he said.
He maintained that the international community and the Guyanese people will continue to reject any attempts to exaggerate and advance negative notions.
“We don’t live in the past. For us this is all about the future,” Persaud contended.