With People’s National Movement banners being burnt, posters being torn down and a supporter being assaulted on Saturday night, the party’s public relations officer Faris Al Rawi is now calling on the United National Congress to condemn acts of political violence. He made the comment during a public meeting at Embacadere, San Fernando, yesterday, noting that the party’s supporters had been under attack in recent week. The most recent was an attack on Embacadere resident Marlon Renny.
As the candidate for San Fernando West, Al Rawi said he was welcoming more UNC and Congress of the People (COP) supporters to the party, saying that they stood for discipline and had a clear plan to take T&T forward. COP candidate for Diego Martin West in 2010, Rocky Garcia, was one of those who joined the party yesterday.
“Count the days and be diligent, stand up and do not accept indiscipline and political violence,” Al Rawi said. “I call tonight on the UNC to condemn the acts of violence of a few foolish people. You know who we are, you know what we want to do, you know that we are serious about where we are going as a country. I ask you to open all doors to all newcomers, people of the UNC and COP, you are welcome to PNM in your droves.”
Al Rawi condemned the Saturday assault on Renny, who was assaulted while putting up posters for yesterday’s meeting, he claimed four men were paid $100,000 to vandalise their signage and disturb the meeting. He said this was in contrast to a year of clean election campaigning by the PNM.
“When we started our election campaign we saw the launch of the UNC campaign, they have littered our country with posters of Kamla, you did not see a single act of vandalism by the PNM. You did not see a single rabble rouser, we go across and we meet our opponents and wish them well,” he said.
“Yesterday, after five years of neglect in Embacadere, four men got paid money, $100,000 offered to create vandalism and to disturb this meeting today, and the UNC proceeds to burn our banners, put graffiti everywhere, tied up UNC buntings everywhere and take a brick and smash it into the head of one of our people and mash up his windscreen.”
He also ridiculed the UNC campaign, saying their walk abouts in communities were filled with paraphernalia to shade candidates from the sun. He said the UNC candidates are now involved in a two-week celebrity walk like they were Hollywood movie stars.