One person has been arrested by the police in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) following an assault on an A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) activist.
Coalition Campaign Co-manager and APNU Executive Member, Joseph Harmon, told media operatives this afternoon: “I understand that the police, they have arrested one person so far, and I trust that they will get the rest of them and let them face the full brunt of the law.”
Earlier today, the issue was brought to the fore by the APNU leader and incumbent President, David Granger, who said that his party was informed that one of its Coalition members was badly beaten by thugs associated with another party. Granger said that the person was innocently going about his business last night with respect to preparations for today, when he was attacked.
Harmon identified the victim as Vivian Henry, “a young indigenous youth, who has been very vocal and very active on our campaign, and has been on the television programmes and so on…A very progressive young man, who was actually set upon by what I would call ‘hooligans’ and given a sound beating.”
Harmon said that Henry was in the building at the time of the press conference, and that he (Harmon) is “fine-tuning” the statement Henry gave to the police.
The APNU+AFC Campaign Co-manager reminded that all the political parties contesting the March 2 General and Regional Elections would have signed on to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC)’s Code of Conduct.
Harmon said that he trusts that the police force will take all the necessary steps to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. He added that the coalition is sending “strong complaints” to the ERC, GECOM and the international election observer groups.
The APNU Executive Member reported that there was another incident involving another Coalition supporter.
“I learnt, also, that there was a young man, whose feet were deliberately ran over by a car in that same area. I don’t have all of the details of that incident, but we have some of our officers, some of our people in the regions who are looking at that to have a statement…And we’ll make another complaint to the authorities,” he said.
Harmon said that the Coalition will not sit “idly by” and see their supporters being subjected to attacks.
“They must understand that we will not sit idly by and see that happening. I’m sending a very clear message to all of those persons who are out there and feel that our supporters are easy prey and that they are targets…We will not accept it. We’ve asked the police to do what they have to do, and we said that we will make all of our complaints to all of the authorities to ensure that people understand what is happening here in Guyana,” Harmon said.
