THE Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) has expressed their concerns that the political opposition is using the two recent incidents which led to the death of two youths, and involved ranks from the Guyana Police Force, to further their agenda of destabilisation through violence.

In a press release, the organisation said that the “attempts by the opposition to justify their efforts at Agricola on Thursday evening is disgraceful and an insult to the thousands of men, women and children from all walks of life who were targeted, abused, beaten, robbed, were forced to beg persons to take them in for the night or affected in some other way.”
According to the release, in claiming that comments by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon irked them into promoting such violence, the opposition is in essence admitting that they are using violence against innocent citizens and lawlessness to address their concerns on the rule of law.
The PYO stated that “instead of supporting the investigations of the police force, they (the opposition) have inexplicably blamed the events on the government. Instead of supporting police reform in the hope that such tragedies do not happen in the future they have decided to stir up hysteria and are encouraging acts of violence against the police.”
The release added that despite the recent protest at Agricola, which resulted in the injury of an officer and many cases of banditry and physical assault against citizens, the opposition has remained mum.
“It is apparent that elements of the opposition have absolutely no concern for the trials of ordinary people or care for the rule of law. Their demand that their majority of one gives them the power to dictate to the executive can only be characterized as absurd,” the PYO added.
The PYO is encouraging all upstanding Guyanese citizens to demand a better service from the Guyana Police Force and to declaim against the use of violence by officers. They are also urging Guyanese to condemn elements of the opposition, which encourages the use of violence as a form of protest.