The People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) has called out the current administration for its alleged involvement in dismantling its Region 9 office. The building, according to the party, was vandalized in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Government is yet to respond to these allegations.
However, during a special press conference on Thursday, Opposition Parliamentarian, Amanza Walton-Desir revealed that a number of notices were in fact sent to the party’s regional office for them to vacate the premises. The land, which the building stood on, is expected to be transformed into a regional facility. However Walton-Desir expressed that the correct eviction procedure was not followed.
She told the press that in addition to the “blatant disregard for the law” there was also no adherence to the legal process of issuing notices of eviction. But the demolition of the building also saw the disappearance of vital records, supplies and even equipment belonging to the party. The Parliamentarian expressed disdain about this and the possible looting of other items.
“If you are proposing to impose a burden upon us to anticipate that the Irfaan Ali-led administration will be operating in such an egregious and unlawful manner, then I have to disagree… this was unlawful,” Walton-Desir said. When asked by Guyana Standard about the overall cost of items missing, the party said that they are still doing assessments.
When asked whether there were any electronically saved copies of the missing documents, including the claims and objection reports that were to be submitted today by 6:00 pm to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Walton-Desir said, “We are still trying to assess the loss and damages during the demolition.”
Walton-Desir was also asked whether the party will be requesting from GECOM an extension for the resubmission of the documents. She said, “We are still awaiting word from the government as to what would occasion it going in the dark of night to demolish our building, steal our records, destroy our equipment and place our ability to meet critical GECOM deadlines in jeopardy.”
On whether the PNCR-led APNU would be asking GECOM for more time to submit its reports, Ms Walton-Desir said party representatives are trying salvage any records from the rubble before engaging the electoral management authority.
While Walton-Desir spoke of having knowledge of the eviction notices sent to the regional office, PNCR General Secretary Dawn Hastings-Williams shared a different view, stating that she was not made aware of notices given to vacate the building. “I haven’t seen any documents on this date,” Hastings said.
Meanwhile, Attorney-at-law Darren Wade, along with his counterpart, Roysdale Forde, are seeking legal action against the administration. He posited that the building has been occupied by the party for over 50 years. He noted that the land is “titled” to the PNCR and was illegally demolished with the aim of inciting some amount of hostility and victimization of its own party members in the district.
“We are aware how vindictive this government is and the exposure of those persons whose registrations are within the party. More so, the PPP is now armed with this information, and we could see in the near future vindictive action against those persons but the party is always ready to stand and support anyone who is victimized by the PPP,” Wade said.
