The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has condemned what it said were acts of hooliganism during Thursday’s protests against President David Granger and it called for all to be guided by GECOM’s time frame for general elections.
Members of the PPP protested outside and inside of the Pegasus Hotel on Thursday calling for Granger to name a date for general elections. Granger was at the time attending a Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association luncheon where he delivered the featured address.
In a statement on Saturday, the GPSU said that the PPP supporters who stormed the entrance of the Pegasus Hotel, and obstructed invitees “have displayed a form of hooliganism, which cannot be tolerated. The lawlessness displayed is in sharp conflict with the expectations of a democratic political protest, it is a display of gross disrespect for the President, his office and the Government. We must be guided by the Law, as it relates to the conduct of elections, which in essence was pronounced on by the Courts, it was dealt with by the judiciary and is in the domain of the Constitutional Body- (GECOM)”.
The GPSU said that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is mandated by law to provide guidance to the President, after a number of criteria have been satisfied including the accuracy of the list of registered voters.
It said that GECOM has now stated its time line to be in a state of readiness to have credible elections and all should be guided by the time frame given.
The union also criticised the US, the UK and the European Union representatives here for stating that the government is currently in breach of the Constitution “following its failure to adhere to the decisions of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on 18 June and its subsequent orders”.
Without calling names, the GPSU said that “We also consider the premature, unveiled and unwarranted involvement of some Diplomats in our domestic affairs. This nefarious interference is out of place and lacking in the sophistication that is the norm of Diplomacy. Further, we wish to reiterate that Guyana is a sovereign, it is a Republic with its Constitution fully operable”.
It also said that the Opposition Leader’s encouragement of the protest action is unwarranted and disruptive to the peace and stability of the country and, “could result in consequences that would be regrettable”.
The union called on all “law-abiding Guyanese to conduct themselves with resilience and dignity and refrain from being incited and associated with actions, which undoubtedly could have serious consequences”.
