Ramjattan admits PPP had its ‘truth’ about Mingo; says Coalition bluffed supporters

Coalition leader Khemraj Ramjattan Saturday described the PPP as the most well-oiled elections machinery in the Caribbean and accused the party of throwing “red meat” at their supporters to make them feel comfortable about a victory, but he said that’s what the Coalition has also been doing.

But even though accusing the PPP of bluffing, he admitted that the PPP had its “truth” about Mingo, referring to Clairmont Mingo, the Returning Officer for District Four who the High Court ruled breached the country’s electoral laws in making a declaration for his District.

The recount has been showing a pattern that the figures used by Mingo to make his declaration were inflated to give the Coalition a victory. The PPP has claimed it won the elections by more than 15, 000 votes and has published the Statements of Poll (SOPs) from District Four to show this; the Coalition has refused to publish the very copies of SOPs it also received from elections staff at polling places in the District.

Ramjattan accused the PPP of bluffing its supporters by claiming victory.

“And I can understand that. In politics, I want to say, we too do a thing or two like that for our party base but what we want here now in this recount process, the entire truth to come out – entire truth!

“Because they had one truth about Mingo and this and that and whatever it is – good! But there are other truths that are very much fundamental and it is important,” Ramjattan declared.

He was speaking during an interview programme by the Coalition hosted outside the National Aquatic Centre which, according to Ramjattan, the Coalition has taken over as its Centre.

The other “truths” he referred to was the Coalition’s mounting claims that persons who were supposed to be dead or out of the country were marked off on the electoral list as having voted in the March 02 general and regional elections.

He said the findings are “stunning” but that the Coalition will have to prove it. He stayed clear of saying what happened in District Four but said he wanted observers to discern what was happening in Districts 2, 3, 5 and 6.

“There might have been wrongdoings, we will have to prove it of course,” Ramjattan stated.

He said the Coalition was “getting evidence” to prove its case. The Coalition has already been accused of using its advantage in power to manipulate and use public records for the elections.

“Our team will work very hard so these things are proven,” Ramjattan stated.

Ramjattan’s interview was abruptly cut during the live broadcast on the Coalition’s Facebook page.