THE government and members of civil society have condemned the recent actions of APNU+AFC Member of Parliament Vinceroy Jordan, who physically blocked Minister of Public Service Sonia Parag from entering the community development council building in Belladrum, Region Five.

The minister and a team ventured into the community to deliver on promises made by President Dr. Irfaan Ali during a recent visit to the area. Among the opportunities for residents, as outlined by the President, are skills training, scholarships and jobs.

Just after Minister Parag’s follow-up visit, reports surfaced in the media, which noted that Jordan and a team of APNU+AFC activists obstructed the minister from entering the building to advance work in the community.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), in response to the incident, said that APNU+AFC has demonstrated, time and time again, that it is incapable of offering meaningful leadership to their constituents or anyone, and is, therefore, in its familiar “obstructionist mode”, with racism being its tool of choice.

“While in office, they took multimillion-dollar scholarships for themselves and their relatives, and denied ordinary Guyanese these very opportunities.

“Their attempt to obstruct the PPP/C government’s housing drive at Amelia’s Ward in Linden, Region Ten and at Mocha Arcadia on the East Bank of Demerara are just a few examples of how they wanted development to bypass certain communities, so that they can continue to peddle false claims of discrimination,” the governing party said.

It went on to state: “The blame for this worrying development should be laid squarely at the feet of PNC and Opposition Leader Mr. Aubrey Norton, who has been unabatingly setting a tone of racism and aggression towards the legitimately elected government and its officials. Norton has also started pivoting his poisonous rhetoric and confrontational tone towards members of the media, as was recently witnessed during a community rally in the East Bank Demerara community of Mocha Arcadia.”

The PPP/C unequivocally condemned Jordan’s “cowardly behaviour” and “bullying tactics” towards Minister Parag.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, in weighing in on the matter, said that he was disappointed that an elected opposition member, who is tasked with representing the business of the people, sought to prevent and withhold development from the communities.

“I join with every right-thinking individual in Guyana to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the obstruction of the Hon. Sonia Parag in carrying out her duties, and that of the government at Belladrum,” Minister Edghill said.

He added that no village is the personal property of any political party, and as such ministers and other officials must have access to provide services to these communities through direct engagements.

Meanwhile, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs Kwame McCoy called the act one that is “cowardly”, and stated that it qualifies for the strongest condemnation from all progressive-minded Guyanese.

This behaviour by Jordan, he said, represents a distinct form of bullyism known to be the PNC’s brand.

“There is equal scorn for the arrogance that accompanied his action by presumptuously concluding that the people of Belladrum did not want government intervention to improve their individual and collective conditions,” Minister McCoy said.

Added to this, the Association For Democracy and Human Rights (Guyana) Inc., in a statement, related that confrontational, hostile and obstructionist posture towards a sitting minister was unacceptable.

The government, the organisation said, was elected fairly and should be allowed to operate unencumbered and without petty malice meted out towards its functionaries.

The group went on to say that it supports the efforts being made by the government to foster a conducive environment for a robust transformational agenda.