THE impact of the actions of key party supporters does extend to political parties, in that their actions contribute to instability in Guyana or the impression of instability, particularly given the current political state of affairs.

The General Secretary of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Mr. Joseph Harmon, told the Guyana Chronicle that personal positions expressed by party supporters are not always condoned by the party itself.

His comments follow a most shocking announcement from APNU member Ms. Lurlene Nestor, made over the weekend in a Facebook post in which she called for a boycott of businesses that do not outrightly indicate their rejection of the current administration.

“Today we begin ‘Operation Sus-Out and Boycott’,” Nestor said. Harmon, in response, has made it clear that this is not the position of APNU. He said that APNU has no part in any operation named ‘Operation Sus-Out and Boycott’.

The APNU General Secretary said, “This is not the official APNU position. These social media sites are something over which you can exercise very little control. This is a personal position Ms. Nestor has taken, not the official position of APNU. Unfortunately, you will have people taking these personal positions, and some can be extreme, all of which we do not condone.

“Yes, there are implications for the party, and we understand (the) business community will be nervous; but APNU is business-friendly, and APNU believes that the private sector is important to Guyana’s development, since it is the engine of growth”, he said.

Harmon added that Ms. Nestor’s call is expected to be discussed at the APNU shadow cabinet meeting today. “Things like this are discussed at cabinet meetings on Tuesdays; afterwards we will make a statement,” he said.

DISTURBING CALL
Nestor’s call, made over the weekend, aroused the ire of the local private sector. Her shockingly obnoxious and disturbing call was made in the social media site Facebook.
The former People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Member of Parliament (MP) made the call last Saturday, posting, “Today we begin ‘Operation Sus-Out and Boycott’. This is what we do: We will ask every business in Guyana to place a banner or a placard on their business which reads: ‘WE SAY NO TO PPP/C DICTATORSHIP’. We give them by Monday to get this notice up, failure to have this visible notice will result in us not buying from them. We did it before and we can do it again… we talking to the big ones from Courts, Bounty, Banks, DDL, Fish Shop, all market stallholders and vendors, all businesses on Regent Street, Water Street. We are talking to every business, from the largest to the smallest.

“Failure to post the notice will indicate to us that these businesses are in bed with the PPP/C regime and they are not on the side of the people. Our scouts will cruise the various business sites and note their observations.

“We will then make a list of all these anti-democracy PPP businesses, and circulate to all so that the boycott mission will be far and wide…Time for real action.”

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Mr. Ramesh Persaud, has since indicated that the private sector welcomes clarification from the main Opposition party on the matter.

“I am glad that APNU clarified its position on the matter,” he said.

Former head of the Private Sector, Captain Gerald Gouveia, said, “It is most anti-development and anti-business comment I have ever heard. If it wasn’t so serious, I would think it was amusing. I sincerely want to believe that it is not the position of the Opposition, and the APNU should come out clearly to clarify their position on Ms. Nestor’s call.”
Additionally, the mid-year report on the performance of the local economy indicated that despite the challenges facing global and regional economies, as well as the new political situation locally, Guyana has been able to record a 3.2 per cent growth in the economy.
The Guyanese economy has experienced eight consecutive years of economic growth, up to 2013, and is projected to expand by a further 5.6 per cent by the end of 2014.