“we will burn it again” says PPP supporter

Region Five family receive a new butcher shop donated by APNU After it was burned down by During Election Period.

General Secretary of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Ms. Amna Ally, today, Tuesday 21st April, on behalf of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), gifted a new building to Mr. Jamal and Mrs. Latchmin Azeez. The building will be used as a butchery. The Azeez who previously operated a butchery in a smaller building on the same property located at Bush Lot, Mahaica-Berbice (Region No. 5), were the victims of politically motivated arson.

The larger and more modern structure which costs approximately two million dollars is a result of contributions by the APNU and several Guyanese both locally and overseas.

The new facility which was renamed, “The Good Life Butchery,” is 90% complete and just needs to be outfitted with water, electricity, and a small bridge, which are expected to be completed within another two weeks.

The General Secretary of the PNCR also handed over a meat scale to the husband and wife, to be used for their business, but regrettably informed them that as a result of the current conditions regarding the pandemic, COVID-19, she was unable to deliver a freezer which needs to be uplifted from a city store when the business reopens its doors.Ms. Ally in her comments said that regardless of the tense political situation, under no circumstance should such vile acts be condoned. She said notwithstanding race or political affiliation, Guyanese should respect each other and cause no harm to property and each other’s livelihood.

“I trust that this is not going to happen to anyone again because this is not good enough in our country, we have to be able to live together regardless of our political differences… nobody must believe because you don’t support my party I must destroy you. My message to the Guyanese people is that democracy must prevail; every individual has a right to choose whichever party they want to support” Ms. Ally said.

She added that there has long been a tendency by People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) supporters in Region No. 5, to be disruptive and to agitate or perpetuate violence, acts which she personally suffered from while residing in the region as a little girl. I have marks on my body to show, cuts above my eyes and other marks from when I was a little girl” Ms. Ally said. The proprietor of the butchery, Mrs. Latchmin Azeez expressed her sincere gratitude to the APNU and those who contributed through donations and otherwise to rebuild her business. She said, however, since the construction work on the new building began, she has been receiving threats that the new structure will also be burnt. She said one of the threats came specifically from a popular PPP supporter, a matter that is now before the court after she reported it formally to the police.

“Just recently I received another threat from a PPP supporter who called out my husband’s name while passing the shop and told him he will burn it down again”. Mrs. Azeez said. “They’ve threatened my family, my life, my car; the day when they claimed they were having a peaceful protest, they said they would burn the shop and they did”.

The Azeez family has operated the butchery at the Bush Lot location for the past ten years, Ms. Azeez said she strongly hopes that the attitude of the perpetrators will change. “I wish for them to humble themselves, educate themselves and know that we are all human beings, we grew up together here in Bush Lot, I have nothing against anybody, it’s just that my political views are different and I don’t see that as a reason for them to want to victimize me in this way,” Mrs. Azeez said