Norton hints ‘violence’ at next general election

Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton on Saturday seemingly kick-started the APNU+AFC’s campaign for the next general elections expected in November 2025.

In a campaign-styled rally against the rising cost of living at Burnham Court, Middle Street, Georgetown, the Opposition Leader repeatedly gave the gathering of Coalition supporters hope that the APNU+AFC will win the next general elections.

His comments come days after Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh presented the country’s first trillion-dollar budget to the National Assembly.

But though titled ‘Rally Against the High Cost of Living,’ the theme of Norton’s address was one of electioneering and removing the incumbent People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) from office.

He accused the government of deliberately setting out to dominate and control a certain race and class of Guyanese people even as he made lofty promises, such as direct cash transfers to citizens from the proceeds of oil and gas if elected to office.

“I want to say this to you, don’t rule out they going to violence to stay in power.

“When we finish beating them, we gon got to take them on,” Norton said to a crowd of about 300 persons who braved rainy conditions to listen to him and other leaders of the APNU+AFC Coalition.

“Look, everyday they producing a security company; everyday a security company but they must remember, merely having guns does not guarantee you victory. He who can handle the gun is in a better position,” Norton added as he continued to hint at the use of violence to remove the PPP/C from government.

He called on supporters to “to let the PPP start feeling”.

He said too that should the APNU+AFC return to government, they will remove PPP/C supporters in key government jobs to avoid sabotage.

“When we were in government, I remember David Granger saying ‘we didn’t ask you which political party you support. We kept you to work. All we want you to do is to serve the people’

“Many of them sabotaged us. I’m saying to you that won’t happen again,” the Opposition Leader noted.

The APNU+AFC Coalition won the 2015 elections and remained in power until 2020 despite a successful No-Confidence Motion that brough the government down on December 21, 2018.

And even after losing the March 2020 elections, the APNU+AFC remained in power for five additional months as it sought to rig those elections in its favour.

Violence were also resorted to in some instances.

The debate of the 2024 budget starts on Monday January 22, 2024.