Major political parties accuse each other of buying votes
By Radha Motielall
[www.inewsguyana.com] – The APNU + AFC coalition is being accused of having a plan to purchase votes on May 11 by General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Clement Rohee, who told the media that the coalition is proposing to pay $10,000 per vote.Rohee said the PPP was “made to understand, and we’re trying to get the evidence to this effect, that the APNU is paying $10,000 per person who goes to the polling station, vote, takes out with their cell phone a photograph of how they voted and when they leave the polling station, they show that photograph to their people outside, who are supposed to be three yards away, they show how they voted to that person and they’re given the $10,000”.
When contacted, Co-Chair for the coalition’s campaign, Raphael Trotman told iNews that this is “absolute rubbish.”
Trotman stated that “such an act is illegal and we will not condone or support it and in fact we have information that such behaviour is coming from the other side. We are not sitting on the national coffers and using it and abusing it the way the PPP/C is.”
Explaining his counter accusation of the PPP/C, Trotman said from his conversation with overseas-based Guyanese, he was told that the PPP is offering to fly persons home to vote for them.
He said unlike the PPP, “we’re an Opposition; we don’t have access to that kind of money” and if Rohee has evidence to show that the coalition is involved is such practice, then “he should take it to the police”.
Trotman said whatever little money they have is being pushed into their campaign. Meanwhile, Trotman recalled persons exposing on social media, pictures of them voting for the PPP/C during the last elections.
In view of this, he said the coalition has asked that GECOM prohibit voters from taking cell phones into the polling booths. He said while such a decision is entirely up to GECOM, the coalition has made such a request.