Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has denied any involvement of the governing People’s Progressive Party in a Police operation that took place at the home of the mother of Rights Activist, Melissa Atwell aka “Melly Mel”.

On Tuesday, the Guyana Police Force raided the Eccles home of Atwell’s mother and grandmother, claiming that they were looking for drugs. The search at the home came up empty handed. The Opposition parties have said the Government and the Police Force are attempting to silence the activist over her constant revelations of widespread alleged acts of corruption within the Government and Police Force.

At his press conference on Thursday, Mr. Jagdeo dismissed claims of any plot targeting the activist.

“Now I don’t know because we don’t check on what the police but if this was an organised plot to plant marijuana on someone, they would find it in the home, they won’t find it at the fence at the back, where they won’t be able to charge anyone cause its outside of their yard, you can’t link the person to the marijuana. We have to be an extremely stupid government to tell someone go and plant marijuana in the house and then find it outside in some alley way, you don’t have to find that under the PPP,” Jagdeo said.

Atwell, who has been threatened with lawsuits by various Government officials over her social media claims of corruption, believes that the Police raid was meant to intimidate her and her family. But the Vice President said Atwell and other social media influencers pose no threat to his party.

“Social media influencers, they don’t pose a threat to the People’s Progressive party, our support is earned, we work the ground, we look out for people’s interest and we have been looking out for pensioners by doubling their pension, the children of this country, the Amerindians, the farmers we assisted, almost all interest group men and women,” Mr. Jagdeo stated.

The political Opposition has since come out in support of Atwell, who resides in the United States.  On Thursday, a party of lawyers representing the interest of the activist dispatched a letter to the Acting Police Commissioner seeking information about the raid and threatening legal action against the state.

The Vice President said although Atwell has been critical of the Government, the PPP will defend her rights.

“We don’t engage in that sort of things, why would we do that, we have been very tolerant, the PPP who wouldn’t say a word under APNU can do so freely, but you are not going to find this government trying to intimidate their opponents,” Mr. Jagdeo stated.

Jagdeo said the Government will never support intimidation of those who are critical of the PPP, but just recently the Attorney General announced plans by the Government to introduce regulations for social media, citing a need to clamp down on statements by persons that seek to denigrate and destroy reputations.

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