By Tracey Khan – Drakes

APNU Leader, David Granger leads the protest action at Square of the Revolution.

[www.inewsguyana.com] – The countrywide protest action by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) began today in front Office of the President with scores of the Party’s supporters turning out and holding up placards as they mount their calls for the holding of Local Government Elections (LGE).

The Police were at the protest to ensure that law and order was maintained. APNU Leader, David Granger explained that a chain of events prompted this action.

However, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the President’s refusal to name a date before September 15 for the holding of LGE.

“That’s all it was… very clear, name a date by the 15th of September, today is the 23, he has not named the date so this protest is to convince him that the people are angry and they people want a date for local government elections,” the APNU Leader said.

Granger vowed to continue these protests in an effort to convince government that the elections are necessary.

“It’s countrywide at all the municipalities across the country and we will keep on protesting until the President does what the constitution mandates him to do, he does not have the right to postpone local government elections to another 17 years just like he doesn’t have the right to postpone general and regional elections.”

Rohee vows

Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee at the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) weekly press conference made it clear that he is no weak heart and his strength will be demonstrated in its full capacity if law and order is not maintained during the ongoing APNU organized protests.

Granger had accused Rohee of being weak. In response, Rohee said Granger “will see who is too weak to fight.”

Some of the protesters.

“If Mr. Granger thinks that I am weak, you know he has launched a countrywide protest action to hasten the government’s signature on a number of Bills, well I would like Mr. Granger and I am not threatening anybody or warning but I am just saying that he announced that these things will be peaceful and so forth and I hope that they will all be peaceful because 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 the peace and good order of our country, then he will see who is really too weak to fight,” Rohee told reporters.

General Secretary of the PPP/C, Clement Rohee. [iNews' Photo]

Rohee then took off his ministerial hat and addressed Granger’s comments regarding him as being distracted.

He said, “it’s not distraction, its preparation really for the fight that is looming on the horizon on the elections front, preparations to ensure that the Party is up and ready to contest successfully any of the two elections that are in the air.”

Local Government Elections was last held in 1994