Rohees threat against Granger and APNU must not be taken lightly

By Dr. David Hinds

September 24, 2014
There comes a time when a nation must sit up and take note of where it is and do something to
halt its deterioration. Sometimes a nation get so tired of being abused, terrorized and pulverized
by its government that it takes such a situation for granted. Government bullying becomes
normative. We may be almost there in Guyana, but its not too late to do something about it.
Take the following statement from a high government functionary that appeared in one of the
daily newspapers.
If Mr. Granger thinks I am weakYou know, he has launched a countrywide protest exercise
to hasten the governments signature on a number of Bills. I would like Mr. Granger to know
and I am not threatening or warning anybody. I am just saying that he announced that these
things will be peaceful and so forth. If they are not peaceful and should there be any diversions
from the peacefulness of any of those protest activities organized by Mr. Granger resulting in
upsetting of the peace and good order of our country, then he will see who is really too weak to
fight.
The above quote, attributed to Mr. Clement Rohee, Home Affairs Minister and General Secretary
of the ruling PPP, appeared in the September 24 edition of Kaieteur News (APNU commences
countrywide protests for Local Govt. Elections). Mr. Rohee was addressing the media at the
PPPs weekly Press Conference. He was, therefore, speaking as PPP General Secretary. There
are three things about that statement that needs highlighting. First, Mr. Rohee seems upset at Mr.
Grangers statement that he is a weak leader. So he is signaling that he is prepared to use his
authority in the government to show that he is not weak. Second, Mr. Rohee is telegraphing how
the PPP intends to deal with the APNU protests if it perceives them to be a diversion from
peacefulness. There is more than a hint that punitive action will be a first resort or not far from
it. It is also clear that Mr. Rohee, not law enforcement officers, would decide if and when the
protests are no longer peaceful. Third, the statement gives the impression that should the protests
cease being peaceful, Mr. Granger should expect to be confronted with Mr. Rohees show of
strength.
Mr. Rohees party is fond of reminding the world of the use of state force against opposition
protests under a previous government. Yet it is now documented that PPP governments are no
different. Mr. Rohees bold threat to the APNU leader is representative of an administration that
has gotten away with using in some cases deadly force against public protests. While not using
the same language, Mr. Rohees statement can be compared to another leaders 1979 statement
calling on his opponents to make their wills. Rohee is brandishing the same sharper steel. This
threat must not be taken lightly.
When a governing party is so cavalier about the institutional force it has at its disposal, it is time
for all to do more than take note. Let me end with this. If people protesting for their
constitutional right to vote (in Local Government elections) have to do so with the constant
threat of state force over their heads then that protest is not peaceful to begin with. The
governments first duty is to protect its citizens, all of them, even when they are protesting
against the government. Clearly Mr. Rohee does not think so.
Dr. David Hinds, a political activist and commentator, is an Associate Professor of Caribbean and
African Diaspora Studies at Arizona State University. More of his writings can be found on his website
www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com