—Nandlall calls it ‘political thuggery,’ urges police to take action

FOLLOWING an incident which saw the supporters of United States-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed’s political party, WIN, aggressively grabbing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) flags and throwing them on the ground, activists attached to the governing party have decided to file an official police complaint.

In a video circulating across social media, WIN supporters can be clearly seen removing the PPP/C flags from a vehicle and discarding them, in the presence of WIN’s presidential candidate.

This was described by PPP/C activists as a “direct provocation and bullyism as seen by associates similar to the encounter with [the] GRA.”

The Representation of the People Act, which is Guyana’s main electoral law, deals with unruly conduct at political meetings and reads that anyone who “acts or incites any other person to act in a disorderly manner for the purpose of preventing the transaction of business for which the meeting was called together shall be guilty of an illegal practice.”

Mohamed’s inaction is a clear indication of his encouragement of an illegal act which was done to prevent the PPP/C activists from doing their political work.

The PPP/C activists have also filed a complaint with the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC).

Meanwhile, Senior Counsel Anil Nandlall, a PPP executive member, has since condemned the actions of the WIN supporters and called for swift police action.

“This type of political thuggery must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Hopefully, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will swiftly investigate and take the necessary actions,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Nandlall, who is also Guyana’s Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, also called out Mohamed for his apparent approval of such illicit activities.
“Unsurprisingly, there is an obvious lack of commonsense to appreciate the consequences that will flow from reciprocity, or worse yet, if every political party is to engage in similar conduct over the next ensuing six weeks. Hopefully, good sense shall prevail,” he said.

Just recently, the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) urged political leaders to act responsibly and ensure that their conduct promotes national harmony and good relations across Guyana, especially during the period leading up to the September 1 elections.

It has also asked politicians to consistently urge their supporters to desist from engaging in acts of provocation, intimidation or hostility toward others.