THE Guyana Youth and Student Movement–the youth arm of the Peoples National Congress/Reform –said it is very worried about Irfaan Ali and the PPP’s dishonest attempts to suppress the rights of young people by trying to stop a new and credible list from being developed through house-to-house registration.

In a statement on Wednesday, the body said thousands of young people who are eligible to vote are not on the old and expired list. “Acting to try and stop house-to-house registration is a clear and direct attempt to use illegitimate means to block young people from voting,” the GYSM said. Acting Chief Justice, Roxanne George-Wiltshire, on Tuesday threw out an application by the opposition to halt the ongoing exercise which started on Saturday. Over 20,000 people have already been registered, the Guyana Elections Commission has said.
According to the GYSM, the steps the PPP have taken to seek an injunction are the latest in a series of shocking manoeuvres to try and force an election on an old outdated list, which not only disenfranchises thousands of youths but also contains the names of as many as 200,000 people who are not eligible to vote. “We believe that this is a blatant attempt to manipulate the election outcome through phantom voting and multiple voting, dishonest practices which the PPP have been exposed as using by former PPP insiders, like Malcolm Haripaul. It is fear that is driving them to seek an injunction against house-to- house registration because they know they cannot win on a clean list. We will not let their fear and dishonesty steal the rights of our young people,” the youth movement stated.

The GYSM said the coalition government is delivering for all Guyanese and respects the rights of young people. “For the first time in 23 years, the government is cracking down on serious crimes, they are building and maintaining record amounts of infrastructure, our education system is being made fit for purpose so that young people get the skills they need to get a decent job, our healthcare system is treating more people than ever before, and finally, we are seeing Guyanese people coming together as David Granger’s government promotes unity.” “There is more that this government wants to do but it is absolutely clear to us that Irfaan Ali and his PPP cronies are putting their own selfish and dishonest ambitions ahead of our young people’s rights and the progress of our country. This is exactly the way they operated during their 23 years of government, where their lies, selfishness and dishonesty left our capital city under water and used as the country’s dumping ground. Our education system crumbled, leaving us, the youth, without hope for the future or a decent job. They did nothing to support jobs for young people; instead, they destroyed important industries like our sugar and rice industries, leaving tens of thousands fearful of the future.”

The political movement said Guyanese came together to put an end to the PPP tricks in the 2015 elections, “but they won’t accept this, and they are relying on a dishonest list to give Guyanese people a dishonest government. House-to-house registration is our only chance at a fair and credible election.”