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– says time for all sides to come together
Opposition Leader, Joseph Harmon has issued a stern warning against protestors who have been engaged in unlawful acts to desist from such activities.
“We stand in solidarity with the people who are peacefully protesting this injustice. What we do not agree with is people injuring people and so on. We do not agree with that. We do not agree that there should be any black and Indian fighting and all of that. We believe that this here is a fight for justice,” Harmon maintained during an outreach to Region Five on Wednesday.
Speaking at the home of one of the victims on Wednesday in the company of APNU+AFC Members of Parliament, Harmon said they saw it fit to demonstrate solidarity rather than participate in the presentation of the National Budget.
“We chose to come to spend this time with you rather than going into the parliament to address budget and all of that because we believe that it is important that we show solidarity with you and that the whole country understands that justice will have to be done, justice will have to be served for these two young men whose lives were snuffed out because of an environment which was created by the PPP”, Harmon said.
The Opposition has since committed to covering the funeral expenses of Iasiah and Joel Henry who were brutally murdered in Berbice at the weekend.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement APNU+AFC condemned in the strongest possible terms the killing of 17 year-old Haresh Singh. “We call on the Guyana Police Force to leave no stone unturned in bringing his killers to justice without delay. There must be no more loss of life or injury to any Guyanese, be they Afro or Indo-Guyanese or member of any other ethnicity or vulnerable group,”the statement read.
It added: “We call on all Guyanese not to harm anyone at any time under any circumstances, particularly when engaged in civil disobedience or any form of protest against any of these recent gruesome killings.
We must strive to be brothers and sisters of one Guyana. We must not turn against or harm our neighbours, villagers or fellow citizens. The APNU+AFC condemns all forms of violence whether by way of provocation or retribution.”
The coalition said these recent incidents bear too much resemblance to the confrontations of the 1960s. “This moment requires of us all, the state, the opposition and grieving relatives, an urgent commitment to end the bloodshed. We have a duty not to repeat past mistakes. We need all our young men and women, alive and healthy to help build this great nation. Violence against each other worsens the situation and is not part of the solution.”
