THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has condemned the political unrest in Linden engineered by the opposition, which has led to the death of three persons and injuries to several others. “Our sympathy goes out to the relatives of those who died and wish those who were injured a speedy recovery,” the ruling party said in a statement yesterday.
“We support the President of Guyana, His Excellency Donald Ramotar’s initiative to set up a Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the shooting events in Linden,” the PPP stated, while noting that this is the “internationally approved mechanism” of getting to the bottom of the events rather than the targeting of and witch-hunting campaign against the Minister of Home Affairs by the APNU/AFC opposition.
Like other opposition unrest in the past, the PPP said the Linden protest is having devastating economic consequences for the Region 10 community and the country as a whole.
It said the unrest with regard to the Linden electricity tariffs has already conformed to what had  obtained in previous protests: – buildings, bridges and vehicles have been set ablaze; stores have been looted; main thoroughfares blocked, preventing food and other vital supplies from reaching those in need; businesses forced to be closed; workers prevented from going to work and people beaten.
The PPP was clear when it said that “these atrocities are being defended by the opposition as peaceful protests!
“Not within any stretch of the imagination can peaceful protest rationally[be] taken to mean depriving others from exercising their constitutional rights as in the case of workers, or can it mean mayhem as seen in the destruction of assets. These are unlawful acts and clearly the opposition, in defending it, and are condoning violence being perpetrated against others,” the PPP posited.
It noted that currently, there is no excuse for intimidatory tactics and extortionist approaches. This must be condemned by all hard-working Guyanese.
The facts will show that the PPP/C government has, over the years, invested billions in Linden and Region 10 and continue to do so with the bauxite industry and related businesses being restored and modernised.
These efforts have exposed the opposition as a failure while in government when they neglected Linden during their tenure. It is therefore not surprising that they have taken advantage of the proposed tariff increase to instigate social unrest to pander to their supporters. It must be noted, that the Leader of the Opposition had initially agreed to the proposed increases but reneged after realising that it may interfere with his leadership battle at the PNC’s Congress.
The PPP also urges all Guyanese to be alert to the destabilisation schemes of the opposition.
“We will continue to defend the rights of Guyanese to protest. We do not condone police excesses,” the party stated.
“However, we will not allow the rights of ordinary, hard-working, law-abiding citizens to be pawned for the APNU-AFC naked schemes of grabbing political power,” the PPP added.