By Ravin Singh

THE Opposition Peoples’ Progressive Party (PPP) has accused Government of trying to “swell its ranks” at the upcoming congress of the Peoples’ National Congress (PNC), the largest party in the coalition government.This view was expressed on Friday by Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira, who said the PPP was reliably informed that this was the intention of the Government.

Initially, the conference of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) was slated to be held for one week, beginning on July 18, but it was subsequently shifted to the period August 22 to 26, 2016. And with the PNC congress scheduled to be held from August 26 to 28, Teixeira said, this run-on between the two events “happens to be highly coincidental.”

“This happens to be highly coincidental in that the closure of the council’s meeting is at beginning of the PNC’s congress.

“We have information that the Government has used the opportunity of the NTC conference to be able to swell its ranks at the PNC’s congress, which starts on August 26,” she told the news conference.

The Opposition Chief Whip said she was able to see a letter sent to the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister by the NTC, requesting that the conference be held from July 18. She is contending that the change in the date of the conference came only after it was announced when the PNC’s congress would be held.

“It was changed, and the change came after the announcement of the PNC that its conference would be held from 26 to the 28. So, after that, you heard that the conference would be held from the 22nd of August,” Teixeira contends.

She is also alleging that Government is paying to bring Indigenous peoples to the conference, despite the NTC having a budget of its own. Moreover, she is contending that there has been a change in the schedule for the ferry which transports people from Mabaruma – an Indigenous village in Region One – and the new schedule works to the advantage of the PNC.

The ferry to Mabaruma travels fortnightly. And according to Teixeira, the next scheduled date in August 27, which is the day after the conference would have ended. However, she noted that the schedule has not been changed for some reason, and the ferry would be departing for Mabaruma on Wednesday 31, which is two days after the PNC’s congress.

Faced with these allegations, Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, has said that, “every person has the right to express their imagination; and that is the work of the Opposition.”

He contends that the Opposition will look for every situation that appears suspicious and criticize it, and he went on to reveal that the last time the Indigenous peoples were brought to Georgetown, the PPP had taken them to imbibe.

“The last time they [Indigenous peoples] came, they [the PPP] were the ones who separated them; moved them from the hotels, took them to bars, gave them liquor to drink, and painted a terrible picture,” he said, adding that the APNU+AFC coalition did not complain about the situation.

The minister explained that if that was the way leaders chose to interact with the Indigenous people, then it was their choice and right. However, he was keen to note that a time has come when the Indigenous peoples should not be treated like that, since it is “totally disrespectful” to them.

“There must be that respect where, not because Indigenous people are seen as simple people they must be seen as stupid,” Minister Allicock said.