THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP), in a statement yesterday, called on A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to not just ‘talk the talk,’ but to ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to the issue of drug-trafficking in Guyana.

Following is the PPP statement:
The APNU leader, Mr. David Granger, has on several occasions in the past described Guyana as a narco-state and has chastised the Government for not doing enough to tackle the issue of drug-trafficking.
However, it was only last week a senior member and Member of Parliament representing Mr. Granger’s party, attorney-at-law, James Bond, represented a confessed drug dealer, for whom he managed to secure a suspended sentence.
This is the kind of hypocrisy by the Opposition and this action is another indication of how disingenuous the Opposition can be.
While Mr. Bond was not representing the APNU in the trial, the fact of the matter is, he represents a political party which time and again sought to give the public the impression it is serious about tackling the drug trade.
Mr. Granger and the APNU are noticeably silent on this matter.
This recent incident is another case which further vindicates our long-held view that the Opposition had always been in bed with the criminal underworld.
It was the People’s National Congress (PNC) which had draped the casket of notorious criminal, Linden “Blackie” London with the Guyana flag; the criminals who had escaped from the Camp Street Prison on February 23, 2003 and brought a reign of terror to Guyana, were described by the PNC as “Freedom Fighters.” When criminal elements had held Buxton under siege, they received military training and other support from the PNC.
Let us not forget that the surveillance video with evidence of the Buxton gas station shooting was removed by another prominent Opposition lawyer, who represented and secured freedom for a man identified as one of those who had cold-bloodedly murdered 11 innocent Guyanese, including sleeping children, in Lusignan.
Let us not forget that the Opposition Leader, Mr. Granger was photographed in the company of gun-toting bandit Kevin Fields, during the funeral of a criminal killed by police.
Is the Opposition really helping to fight crime and drug-trafficking in Guyana? The answer is a clear NO, because were they serious, then Mr. Bond would not have represented a man who confessed to being in possession of drugs.