THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has condemned the wanton and barefaced attempts by hooligan elements associated with the APNU-AFC to break up its political meetings.At a meeting at East Ruimveldt, Party leaders including Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon was attacked in what could only be described as an indecent act of vulgarity in which the daughter of a prominent APNU activist was seen urinating on the PPP flag, a statement from the ruling party said yesterday.
This resort to threatening language, thuggery and violence is fraught with dangers and could if allowed to continue pose a real danger to life and limb not to mention the dangers to public order and safety.

Several of PPP/C billboards, posters and other campaign materials were pulled down, defaced or otherwise destroyed within the past few days.

The PPP is convinced that these are not random actions perpetrated by Party fanatics but represented a premeditated, well calculated and centrally directed plot by the APNU to create political tension and ultimately derail the May 11 polls.

What is even more disturbing is that these attacks are taking place a mere hours after the signing of the GECOM Code of Conduct which has clearly been honoured in the breach by the APNU-AFC.

It seems obvious that Granger, no doubt in anticipation of a defeat at the upcoming elections, is now setting the stage for a repudiation of the will of the electorate.

This explained why he referred to the Voters’ List as ‘dirty’ and his rather preposterous claims that all elections since October 1992 were rigged even though it is an established fact that all the elections since 1992 were certified by local and international observers were declared by local and international observers not only to be free and fair but free from fear.

The PPP is strongly of the view that Granger and his APNU-AFC outfit is staging a psychological warfare aimed at driving fear into the electorate and create a false sense of political dominance especially in light of an impending electoral defeat in the May 11 polls.

Part of this so-called offence is the peddling of lies and all manner of deceptions aimed at manipulating the electoral process.

The refusal by APNU to support the vetting of GECOM’s polling day officials on the grounds of logistical difficulties conjures up memories of Hoyte’s describing the counting of votes at the place of poll as a ‘logistical nightmare’. It took much arm-twisting on the part of President Carter before Hoyte reluctantly agreed to the counting of votes at the place of poll.

The PPP calls on the Guyanese electorate to be strong and focused and not to allow themselves to be intimidated by acts of political terrorism being perpetrated by the APNU-AFC.

The PPP also calls on GECOM to put in place all the necessary mechanisms to guard against multiple voting, unauthorised use of proxy voting, others voting for others, storming of polling stations, stuffing of ballot boxes and other fraudulent practices on voting day.

It is clear that as elections day draws nearer and nearer and the prospects of another PPP/C victory looms larger and larger in the elections horizon desperation seems to get the better of the APNU-AFC.

The PPP urges its members, supporters and friends to remain calm and composed despite acts of provocation unleashed against them by the APNU-AFC coalition.