PPP
PRESS STATEMENT
STATEMENT TO THE MEDIA
BY DONALD RAMOTAR, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE PEOPLE’S PROGRESSIVE PARTY
PPP 28 th CONGRESS
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) will be holding its 28 th Party Congress on July 30-31, 2005 at the Cotton Field Secondary School, Anna Regina. The theme of the Congress is “ Strengthen National Unity, Expand Democracy and Social Progress.”
This Congress is expected to be the largest Party Congress with delegates and observers drawn from all the ten administrative regions in the country. This Congress coincides with the PPP’s 55 th Anniversary Celebrations and is expected to chart the way forward for a strengthened and more united Party.
The Party Congress would also be informed by developments at the international and local levels and would seek to reposition the Party to take advantage of the new and changing dynamics as it strives to further enhance the quality of life of the Guyanese people.
A major focus of the Congress would be the strengthening of the Party in order to be better prepared to mobilize support for the upcoming elections constitutionally due in a year’s time. The Congress is expected to be the launch pad, which would take the Party to yet another victory in the upcoming poll.
A major highlight of the Congress would be the Central Committee’s Report by the General Secretary and an address by President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Congress will also elect a Central Committee of the Party.
PPP WELCOMES PRESIDENTIAL REPORT ON GAJRAJ
The PPP welcomes the Report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry which was set up to enquire “… whether and to what extent there is evidence of a credible nature to support the allegations that the Minister of Home Affairs, Ronald Gajraj has been involved in promoting, directing or otherwise engaging in activities which have involved the extra-judicial killing of persons…”
The Commission, which was composed of Justice Ian Chang, Justice Keith Messiah and Mr. Norman Mc Lean M.S.S. retired Major-General of the Guyana Defence Force found “… no evidence (direct or circumstantial) that the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs, Ronald Gajraj, was involved in promoting, directing or otherwise engaging in activities which involved the extra judicial killings of persons …”
The PPP hopes that this would put to rest all the wild accusations that were made and that we move ahead with the task of building our country. We hope that this matter would stop being a political football.
We also welcome the resumption of work by Minister Gajraj in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Party also supports Government’s announcement that they would be implementing the recommendations by the Commission in other areas of operations of the Ministry.
The People’s Progressive Party wishes to express its concern at the pace at which preparations for the elections, constitutionally due is 2006, is moving.
We have pointed out that the Opposition PNC has been engaging in attempts to discredit GECOM database. Every allegation made since 1997 Elections was investigated and found to be false and without foundation.
In one of the last forensic audit that was done by the International IDEA, here is their conclusion: “… We have investigated all the evidence that the PNCR have provided us… We have found no evidence to support any allegations that the security of the database was breached, or that the system security at GECOM was at risk…”
The tactics of the opposition seem to be geared to disrupt the work of the Commission and to prevent the preparatory work from being done.
Recently GECOM with the assistance of the Commonwealth Secretariat contracted a specialist to work on the needs assessment for the holding of the Elections on time.
That report is now out. However, the Opposition once again seems to want to frustrate the implementation of those recommendations.
It appears that the PNCR is only prepared to accept their own positions and is determined to delay and disrupt the preparations for elections.
