Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, on Friday evening urged People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) supporters to remain calm and “reject provocations” from the opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), following a brief but tense clash during a public meeting at Stabroek Market Square.

As the PPP/C event was underway, a convoy of APNU supporters—decked out in party paraphernalia—passed along a nearby street, heckling and chanting slogans in what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to disrupt the gathering.

The disturbance sparked a brief exchange of words between rival supporters, but swift intervention by law enforcement officers on the ground prevented an escalation. The APNU convoy was escorted away, and PPP/C supporters were eventually dispersed without further incident.

Addressing the gathering immediately after, Minister Benn accused APNU of seeking to incite unrest and destabilise the democratic process ahead of the September 1 elections.

“The leopards can’t change their spot, the caiman can’t stop biting you,” Benn declared, drawing on metaphor to underscore the opposition’s history of provocation. “And so it’s no surprise that they came past here trying to provoke you with maliciousness, with slogans. They want to have an excuse to let us descend into violence. They want us to respond to the challenge that they are putting out.”

Benn warned that the opposition’s actions were calculated to create instability at a critical juncture, stressing that the PPP/C’s supporters must not allow themselves to be drawn into confrontation.

“They want to have a breakdown right here so that we cannot go forward to elections,” he cautioned. “But we will not give them that satisfaction.”