THE People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has reiterated its earlier accusation that overwhelming empirical data is available to indicate the existence of a nexus between the Opposition and criminal forces in Guyana.

And with reconvening of the National Assembly merely days away, the PPP/C contends that the political pressure at the parliamentary level being directed at the office of the Home Affairs Minister is not helping with the fight against crime.
The party, in a statement on Friday, said that: “At the political level and in the Parliament, their (the Opposition’s) prime target is usually the Minister of Home Affairs, who holds responsibility for the security sector. They have caused the removal of Mr. Ronald Gajraj, and only recently we have witnessed all manner of political pressure being exerted upon the current holder of that office, Comrade Clement Rohee.
“They have withheld their support from all the reforms he has brought to the National Assembly, which are designed to modernise and overhaul the security sector, some of which are contained in their own manifestos.
“Significantly, in this equation is their rejection of the much-needed Firearms (Amendment) Bill 2013, which is pivotal to combat gun-related crimes that are progressively on the increase. Their rejection of the SWAT Unit even before it is established is yet another link in this chain.”
According to the PPP/C, the war against crime has only two sides, and the Opposition has “consistently stood on the side of crime and the criminals,” as evidenced by history.
The statement said: “No one can dispute that they are responsible for the violent protest marches; the burning and looting; the robbery, violence and deaths which resulted after the 1992, 1997, and 2001 General Elections.
“No one will forget their linkages with the marauding criminal gangs hiding out in Buxton and elsewhere, who robbed, terrorised, kidnapped, raped and slaughtered dozens of innocent citizens, including law enforcement officers, businessmen, and women and children, even while they slept.
“We recall their embrace of notorious murderer and rapist Linden ‘Blackie’ London, around whose coffin they draped our national flag, marching with it through the streets of Georgetown and proclaiming him as the folklore hero Robin Hood.
“One recalls the number of times the East Coast roadways at Buxton and at West Coast Berbice were dug up and burnt by elements in the Opposition, and innocent commuters were robbed and even killed.
“In more recent times, their instigatory role in the Linden protests of 2012 comes to mind. It resulted in four deaths and 12 persons sustaining bullet wounds, robberies of dozens of commuters, massive destruction of private as well as state properties, and the denial of the interior region of vital food, medical and other supplies.
“Even more recently, they encouraged persons to block the East Bank highway at Agricola. As a result, dozens of women, including school girls, were sexually molested; dozens of persons were physically assaulted, and thousands (were) discommoded.”
The PPP statement continued: “Their uniformed and persistent attacks on the law enforcement agencies are well documented. Their strategic campaign has been to target the most effective of our policemen and women, and the most potent units in our law enforcement agencies. In their quests, they regularly come out in loud protest whenever a suspected bandit, or even a known criminal, receives injuries or is killed in an encounter with the law enforcement agencies. They deliberately ignore the circumstances at hand, which may clearly justify the use of force by the law enforcement agencies.
“They disregard the law enforcement agencies’ legal right and constitutional duty to use force, including lethal force in certain circumstances. Their voices only echo support for the criminals and condemnation for the law and its officers. Not a word is ever uttered by them in support of, or in sympathy with, the victims of crime.”
The ruling party also maintained that the Opposition’s assertion that only they can deal successfully with crime in Guyana is an assertion that the Guyanese people can see through, given the clearly documented facts.
The PPP/C also pointed to another stance of the Opposition that will affect the Guyanese populace — rejection of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLCFT) Bill.
The statement said: “Why would politicians expose their constituency to such dangers, and put their very political survival on the line in this manner?
“More importantly, why would politicians want to block a law which is intended to rid the financial and commercial sector of the most prevalent, pernicious and violent crimes of the 21st century, such as money-laundering and terrorism, when the entire world is moving in that direction?
These deep and probing questions must be asked.”
The ruling party called on the Opposition to prove the foregoing statements false, and to stand on the side of the people’s interests.
“Time is indeed of the essence. Judgment day is near,” the party posited.