The Alliance For Change is concerned that the arrest of Ms. Melissa Atwell in the USA will have serious impact on national efforts to expose corruption and unlawful conduct in Guyana. Like most Guyanese, we have serious reservations on whether Ms. Atwell would get anything like a fair trial if she was ever to return to Guyana.
Ms. Atwell is viewed by the present regime as an enemy of the State. Her current circumstances may not be unconnected to efforts by the present administration to have her humiliated and brought to Guyana as a message to other critics of the present regime.
Ms. Atwell, under the social media handle “Melly Mel” unveiled the corruption of the PPP cabal. Her social media posts, often corroborated with evidence, showed the Guyanese public how the PPP was siphoning off money to their friends, families and favourites.
Melly Mel’s activism on social media for a better Guyana made her a target for the PPP despots. However, despite all their threats and attacks she continued to bravely expose the PPP’s corruption, discrimination and negligence, placing her high up on the PPP list of persons targeted for victimisation and suppression.
Instead of bringing evidence to debunk Atwell’s claims, the PPP sought to silence her by making spurious accusations against her. It was a relentless attack oftentimes utilising resources of the state funded by taxpayers to silence a Guyanese woman using her own resources to fight for a better Guyana. The battle for independent thought and legitimate resistance must be defended and protected.
If we fail to identify the sinister actions which are designed to ultimately silence all of us in our struggle for a better Guyana, we will ultimately be without our brothers and sisters in our collective struggle for a fairer and better Guyana.
The AFC will pay keen attention to the developments in relation to Ms. Atwell and is prepared to sound the bell and stop efforts which are designed to silence all critics of the present regime. We have seen the acts of the PPP fascist regime bent on subverting the rights of the people including our fundamental right of Free Speech.
The PPP is well advised that no amount of intimidation will silence the thousands prepared to continue the fight through the ballot.