AS the Opposition continues to reel from President Ramotar’s Prorogation of Parliament, the combined Opposition leadership has reached into its proverbial arsenal to select its prized weapon in political campaign of intimidation against the populace: “forced allegiance” – its political badge of honour.Contrary to Brigadier (rtd) David Granger’s revival hymn: “We are a peaceful people; we are a righteous people; we are a law abiding people not looking for trouble” at the Square of the Revolution, and his calling on the uniformed officers to desist from interfering with the rights and liberties of law-abiding citizens to assemble and protest, he seems to have no intention of being an honourable man to be held to his words, and merely issued such a statement for public consumption.

No sooner after the Opposition leader’s statement, a message purported to be from a representative of the Opposition camp posted a warning to the Guyanese public via a social media site. It appeared attached to one Lurlene Nestor – a known social media propaganda operative.
In no uncertain terms the message spells out the riot act in raw political menace: The business community is hereby put on notice that they are to pledge full allegiance and obedience to the Opposition and its agenda. Such allegiance must be demonstrated by displaying an appendage at your establishment, which should be visible at all times. No business entity, large or small and everything in between, irrespective of locality, will be exempted from this mandate.
Be further advised that compliance officers will be on active surveillance to document non-compliant entities; those found not displaying the allegiance appendage – out of compliance, will be duly noted as a refusal to pledge allegiance and would be subject for reprisal. “We did it before and we can do it again. This is how we do it.”
A forthright reminder of the past, make no mistake about it. The Opposition has disrobed from its saintly revolutionary rhetoric delivered under the shadow of national hero Cuffy’s monument to cry for Guyana, a public consumption gimmick, and soon swaddled itself with armour apparel. This is a sermon to be spread by the sword. It bears the insignias of the Opposition’s campaign trademark of instilling fear and intimidation in the hearts of the populace.
A ghastly reminder, reminiscence of the forced coercion campaign of Desmond Hoyte who evangelised from the pulpit at Congress Place for “slow fyaah, mo’ fyaah,” an indication that the allegiance sought has not been attained, so that professional protestors could wreak havoc by unleashing Operation “slash and burn,” against law-abiding citizens and businesses failing to acquiesce to the Opposition’s demand.
It is spine-chilling, to say the least, to hear of the Opposition’s threats, sanctioned through its surrogates, of coercion and intimidation, one which mirrors that of Adolf Hilter’s Nazi campaign of systematic terror, forcing Jews to wear a star patch, sewed into the clothing as an emblem so that they could be singled out for intimidation and persecution.
In the 1930s, Nazi operatives stood outside Jewish-owned businesses to prevent persons from patronising them and the ‘SS’ enforcers painted ‘Juden’ on Jewish store windows as an appendage for persecution. In the Guyanese context, the absence of an appendage would yield the identical result. These are tactics borrowed from the playbook of Hitler’s bible of terror, which the rogue Opposition’s terror legion has resuscitated to spread homegrown terror.
Other Opposition coalition operatives, too, were no less timid to reveal their non-clandestine love affair to extract “forced allegiance.”
Dr. Roopnaraine made no secret of the coalition’s intent to orchestrate similar assault against a free press for their independence. Threatening to suppress the flame of press freedom, the good doctor went on to identify media houses and issued a severe castigation of their role; overtly hinting that the media houses should renounce their oath of neutrality and pledge allegiance to the rogue Opposition.
Equally hair-raising, Carl Greenidge added his voice to the forced allegiance campaign, and placed before the firing squad foreign businesses and the investment community, particularly the Chinese and Indians, as top priority to extract allegiance from or suffer the reprisal. However, it would be an interesting scenario if and when APNU/PNC meets with the international Asian community, and come face to face with the ambassadors of these respective countries and they demand an explanation of Greenidge’s venomous spouting against their nationals. Oh, it would be a priceless moment.
Clearly, the combined Opposition has embarked on a campaign of forced allegiance to foster polarisation and force a political camp designation; proselytising their message of intimidation in hopes of ushering in a continental divide, racial and otherwise, which would give them the opportunity to label persons and entities as non-supportive and extract a price for that refusal.
Their ‘methodus’ bears an uncanny resemblance to U.S. President George Bush’s illegal war of invasion, which he precipitated with these infamous words in a speech before Congress in 2001, “You are with us or you are with the terrorists.” This became the genesis by which his administration curtailed personal liberties and freedoms in the name of making America a safe place. We now know the outcome of that sermon on the mountain.
But the junior Bush had greater ulterior motives for the utterance of those words. He sought to bring the political line of demarcation under his control and forced-camp designation. No one could have afforded to stand under the banner of neutrality, refuse to be an ally to his cause or contradict his political wisdom. His orders were to be a unilaterally painted enemy combatant or deemed unpatriotic for having a competing view. A decade later the world at large still suffers the side effects of his political prescription.
The writing is on the wall. Thuggery, coercion and intimidation – the hallmark of the Opposition have been retrieved, dusted off and resurrected from the Opposition’s old play book, to be its holy grail of their political gambit. Mr. Granger’s PNC and the likes thereof will divorce themselves from the compulsion brigade for public consumption purposes; but its surrogates will be known by their insignias.

FAIUZE ALI