The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has occupied a building in Lethem, Region Nine for close to half a century and does not need to provide proof of ownership, the party’s Leader, Aubrey Norton declared today during a press conference.
Norton’s comment comes on the heels of the recent dismantling of the building which houses a PNCR office. Despite sections of the building being demolished, PNCR officials sought to “reclaim” the structure with opposition from regional authorities leading to a heightening of political tension in the district.
The government, however, is adamant that the property belongs to the state and is listed on the region’s registry of assets. Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo said days ago that his government had nothing to do with the eviction, noting that the decision was taken by the regional administration following recommendations from the Auditor General.
“If you check the Auditor General’s reports, you would see – historically – him speaking about people illegally occupying government properties. If you look at the 2020 report, you’ll see the Auditor General mentioning illegal occupations across the country,” Jagdeo stated on March 3, 2023.
He went on to add that his government supports the eviction and noted that when regional accounting officers appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), they are “hammered” by both government and opposition members when recommendations in those reports are not followed. He also stated that the Regional Chairman had written three letters to the PNCR requesting eviction.
“So APNU pretends that this is a spur-of-the-moment thing, etcetera, and claims that it never knew about attempts to have them removed from the government property [but] since 2021, three notices from the Regional Executive Officer were sent to the PNCR pursuant to the Auditor General’s reports.”
When Norton was asked today about the proof of ownership, he replied: “The building there is ours. We don’t have to produce anything to show ownership. We’ve occupied that building for close to 50 years and will continue to occupy it.”
