Elements in PNC/R leadership connected to escapees
-- President charges

Thursday 23, 2002

By Neil Marks

PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday charged that "some elements" of the leadership of the main Opposition People's National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) are connected to the five dangerous criminals who escaped from the Georgetown Prison on February 23 last.
"We have confirmation that they are linked in some way with those people", he said while addressing West Demerara/East Bank Essequibo residents at the Greenwich Park Primary School, East Bank Essequibo.
The escapees, linked to the recent violent crime wave, have a lot of help and many persons who have backed them come from "the fringes of some political parties", he said.

"We say it's terroristic behaviour", Mr. Jagdeo stressed.
The President said the aim of the elements of the PNC/R leadership he referred to is to create a "climate of fear in the country where ordinary citizens are very worried about their safety and that this could create some momentum that would automatically or miraculously change the Government".

"But it's not going to happen. It's a dream", he declared.

He once more called on the PNC/R to come out openly and forcefully to say that it does not support criminals and is not aligned to criminal elements.

"Don't scapegoat the Police - they are not the criminals in this society, so don't try to justify crime by targetting a few units within the Police Force. It's not going to work", the President said.

He told the community meeting he was happy to note that the local representatives of the U.S. and Canadian Governments have come out to denounce criminal activity and to say that in a democratic society, there is no justification for political or criminal violence.

At last week's summits in Spain of Caribbean, Latin American and European leaders, which he attended, Mr. Jagdeo said leaders spoke "about the need for democracy, to work against the forces that subvert democracy, and to work against terrorism in any of its manifestations and against narco trafficking and organised crime."

At the summit, he called for international sanctions against any force, ruling or in opposition, that is bent on subverting democracy.

"The international support is there", he said.

"Those who try to subvert democracy and link up with organised crime to further their political motives are not going to succeed."

The President said the Police and Army are working together in an effort to recapture the five notorious bandits who staged the daring February 23 jailbreak, in the process killing a young prison officer and seriously wounding another.

While saying that he can give no guarantees on when the escapees will be recaptured, Mr. Jagdeo noted, "you cannot escape the law forever".

The President also blamed the recent wave of crime on the mass deportation the country has seen, with some 400 deportees recently landing here from the U.S. and other countries.

He referred to the irony of the countries involved in dumping their law offenders here, while at the same time coming into Guyana and recruiting trained nurses and teachers.

Some of the deportees have a criminal record, may have operated with gangs in the countries where they were deported from and could have overseas links in carrying out criminal activities here, he said.

He said that among other measures to curb the upsurge in crime, his Government is thinking about taking a tough crime bill to Parliament.

The Government recently said that certain statements and actions of the PNC/R and elements of the media exhibit terroristic behaviour.

The governing People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has also alleged that the PNC/R was "aligning with criminals", saying that this "tendency" became pronounced in the post 1997 and 2001 general and regional elections.

During those periods, the PPP/C said, "hundreds of Guyanese, mainly persons of East Indian descent, were beaten and robbed during the PNC organised demonstrations. Billions of dollars worth in property were damaged by fire and vandalism".

At yesterday's meeting, several residents raised issues affecting them and the President promised to look into these.

The issues raised included the need to repair the Greenwich Park Primary School, speedier process to get firearms, and flooding of farmlands and communities.