Dr RUPERT ROOPNARINE, Deputy Chairman of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has said that Lindeners have no interest in destroying their community. This very comment emanated from quite a number of prominent party officials.  It is very comforting and even reassuring to be told of this intention on the part of the many good citizens of Linden. Yet, there have been many troubling and sad events that raise many serious questions and thoughts.
One must begin with the type of protest, announced as peaceful by none other than the Region 10 administration that would have had the blessings of the APNU and AFC political opposition parties. Of course, notwithstanding the questionable validity of their protest, it is their right to protest provided that it is done within the norms of law and order, and without inconveniencing those who may not be a part of the process.
But on the very first evening of this ‘peaceful’ exercise, a series of events, which are already fully known and needs no repeat in these lines, occurred that exposed the untruth of this claim to being peaceful.
How does one explain persons dying and injured by police fire and buildings being torched by arsonists, with the fire tenders being prevented from getting to the scene because of the deliberate setting up of physical hindrances by these same supposedly peaceful protestors?
It was obvious from the onset that this protest had been hijacked, and was never intended to be peaceful by the extremists. In fact, this was no strange co-incidence, since the stage had to be set for the battle of the radicals versus the moderates in the run-up to the just concluded PNCR party Congress.  Therefore, the protest at Linden was used as a staging ground for the proxy trial of strength between the two groups. It is quite obvious as to who has had the upper hand in the mining town, though they lost out in the inter-party elections for leadership of the PNCR.
No one is saying that there are not civil citizens of Linden. Of course, there are; whose numbers by far outweigh the extremists. But, one is certain, that they have been cowed into fearful silence by those whose intentions were never meant to be, as initially made known.
Again, what has been experienced at Linden is a tragedy for that town and maybe, Dr. Roopnarine ought to tell the nation who are the elements behind the violence.