THE APNU is again being led by the old, sickening tricks of the People’s National Congress. One would think that after the universal rebuke for trying to steal the election in 2020, the PNC and its little minions would try to come clean at the 2023 LGEs. Those who do not know the PNC might be disappointed. Those who know it well will no doubt have already recognised that this party that was founded on deceit and division, is back to its model of the politics of fear and dishonesty.

A little over a week ago, PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo pointed out that the APNU made an uncommon error by going to court over electoral boundaries and the voters’ list (List of Electors). The court quickly turned the ludicrous attempt to stop the LGEs on those bases. But more than that, the pre-election slap dished out by the Court has robbed the APNU of two of its favorite excuses for its poor showing which is bound to happen.

Not to be outdone, the PNCR-led APNU has manufactured a few other preemptive strikes in anticipation of the trashing it will receive at the LGEs come next Monday. Norton’s latest excuse for his anticipated humiliation is that the APNU will lose because the PPP/C is buying Afro-Guyanese candidates and votes. Norton simply cannot accept that their traditional supporters are turning their backs and walking away. Imagine someone like Christopher Jones has been reduced to standing on a pick-up at Plum Park, with no audience, talking about Trench Crapo versus House Crapo. Sad!

The politics of fear for which the PNC is well known was also activated by telling people in Georgetown, Linden, and New Amsterdam that the PPP/C will raise property taxes when they win. At his regular Thursday press conference at Freedom House yesterday (June 8), General Secretary Jagdeo called this lie not a regular lie, but one of ‘hyper dishonesty.’ Jagdeo pointed out that it was the APNU-AFC that had planned to raise property taxes across the country. In fact, Minister Bulkan has commissioned a study by a Canadian firm to justify raising property taxes, not by raising the rates, but by raising the valuation of properties. This is called raising taxes through the back door, an APNU specialisation.

PNC/APNU ‘super dishonesty’ is not only alive, but it is now a matter of party electoral strategy. The APNU is hiding its candidates behind fake names and fake symbols. In the Hague-Blankenburg NDC contest, for instance, they are using a lightbulb symbol to throw off voters. Other false symbols used on West Coast Demerara and East Bank Essequibo include a sucker tree, an eagle, and sugar cane plants with a cutlass.

Another falsehood peddled by the PNC/APNU is that the PPP/C will remove vendors from Georgetown and surrounding areas. Norton knows this is not true, but this has not stopped him from repeating this most predictable of lies. To be clear, the PPP/C has no plans to remove vendors.

The LGEs are only days away now. The PPP/C has made giant strides in delivering what it promised in 2020, and deep incursions into PNC/APNU strongholds. The PPP/C leadership and their thousands of activists, volunteers, and supporters are primed for action. An unprecedented victory is in the offing. With that, this country will be even more poised to deliver a better life for all, regardless of party, regardless, or region or locality, and certainly regardless of race or religion.

Sincerely
Dr. Randolph (Randy) Persaud