“Street protest is not the best option now” – PNCR Leader

Last Updated on Sunday, 29 September 2024, 22:10 by Writer

Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton on Sunday continued to maintain that street protests against the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-led administration, fearing that it would backfire racially on his largely Afro-Guyanese supported party.

“Street protest is not best option,” Mr Norton, who is also Guyana’s Opposition Leader, told a townhall meeting in Toronto, Canada. “Let us be sensible. We want all Guyanese to benefit. We, at this stage, should not do anything that will result in conflict between the two major ethnic groups,” he said.

He reasoned that many Indo-Guyanese, mainly the PPPC’s support base, were tired and not supporting their party. At the same time, he suggested that PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo continued to provoke his opponents into resorting to street protests.

The PNCR alleged that during street protests, the PPPC pays young Afro-Guyanese to beat Indo-Guyanese and then blame the PNCR. He cited the East Coast Demerara protest against the police shooting death of Quindon Bacchus as one such example.

Mr Norton said while he believed that the PPPC was stoking conflict between Afro- and Indo-Guyanese, he did not rule out protests. “That must not be interpreted to mean that there will be no protest. There will be protests but they will be done in a way that allows us to achieve our objective without allowing the PPP to achieve their objective of creating division within the society,” he said.

The PPP, for its part, continues to maintain that it is Guyana’s only multi-racial party, having been able to attract many Afro-Guyanese into its fold.