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Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon on Friday said the Coalition will pay full keen attention to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) treatment of residents of Linden, Upper Demerara- Upper Berbice (Region Ten).
Harmon was at the time speaking at a celebratory event held at the Watooka Guest House for newly appointed Chairman, Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Deron Adams and his Vice Chairman, Douglas Gittens.
The Opposition Leader said that for the 23 years prior to the APNU+AFC administration in 2015, the mining town was neglected and marginalized by the PPP. “Our government ensured that this Region was not neglected and cast aside between 2015 and 2020. We made every effort to ensure that work to restore and rebuild Region 10 began and continued. You have had a painful past of neglect and oppression under the PPP administration…because they saw you as a green region and they were only concerned with red regions,” Harmon said.
He alluded to the removal of the community’s television station which was returned under the Coalition, and the cold blooded killing of three Lindeners: Ron Sommerset, Shemroy Boyeau and Allan Lewis.
“They persecuted and tormented the people of this region for exercising their constitutional and democratic rights. They tried everything they could to demoralize and break you but you resisted and stood firm and repelled them,” Harmon said boasting of the Coalition’s track record.
“We will not tolerate one iota of discriminatory conduct, oppression or persecution. We will stand with you and we will defend and represent you as you have stood faithfully with us over the decades. We demand that you be treated with respect by the PPP and that you be provided with your fair share of the national pie,” The Opposition Leader added.
Further, Harmon called on the PPP administration to allocate financial resources to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) so that preparations for the holding of Local Government Elections (LGE) can be made. He said too that the Commission must embark on House-House Registration with urgency.
“The PPP under its then Local Government Ministers, Ganga Persaud and Norman Whittaker went around the country and dismissed elected NDC’s, installing in their places hand-picked Interim Management Committees. These IMC’s answered directly to Freedom House. You were not spared. We had an IMC installed here in Linden, subverting the will of the people. We will have no more of that my dear Guyanese sisters and brothers. This will not be condoned.
LGE’s must be held so that communities can choose their leaders,” Harmon said.
Meanwhile, Harmon congratulated the Regional Chairman and Vice Chairman on being elected to office while calling on Councilors to serve their Region without fear or favour, and with dignity.
