GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Partnership for National Unity (APNU) launched its election campaign on Sunday night, with its presidential candidate, Aubrey Norton, confident that the coalition of opposition parties can retake the government in the September 1 regional and general elections.
Time’s up, Time’s up for the PPP! I want to say this to you: they will seek to instill fear because they govern by fear. Still, when you are confronting a regime like the (ruling) People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), you have to take them on and not be afraid,” Norton told supporters gathered at the Square of the Revolution.
Norton, the leader of the main opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), unveiled what he called a people-centered development plan, where jobs, health, education, and agriculture take center stage.
“We are dealing with a corrupt regime, and we have to ensure that that regime goes its way. We are saying to you the Guyanese people, we will create jobs, and we will create jobs in Agriculture, this government knows well that there is high cost of living and they take no action to deal with it,” said Norton adding that Guyana has a perfect opportunity now to grow, but it must do so under a government that will put people first.
“If three or four regions are providing all the food for Guyanese, obviously there will be a shortage, and where there is a shortage, the prices will go up. We are saying to you that our agricultural programme, every region will have a sustainable agricultural programme and produce the food they need,” he added.
Unlike the previous general and regional elections, when the APNU included the Alliance for Change (AFC), this time around the two parties have not been able to reach an accommodation. Norton told supporters that many people have written his party off, but insisted that the base remains unshakable.
Norton told the launch that he is confident that after Nomination Day on July 14, when the electors see the caliber of the APNU candidates, the choice will be easier to make and that he is equally confident that when the party’s elections campaign kick into gear, the party will also able to retain lost ground.
“Those who believe that we were dead were mistaken. We are a strong political party; we are a potent political force, and we have beaten them before, and we will beat them again.
He has vowed that the APNU administration will be able to deliver more to the population as a result of the country’s growing oil wealth.
“From day one, on taking office, by the stroke of a pen, there will be a 35 percent increase in wages,” he said, as the coalition offered increased food production in the 10 administrative regions to reduce the cost of living, a rent subsidy and the construction of thousands of houses for poor people to pay under a rent-to-own scheme.
There will also be a stipend of GUY$50,000 (approximately 0.04 cents) for tertiary students, two hot meals per child, GUY$120,000 per child per year in two disbursements, and legally mandated cash transfers.
“There will be direct, predictable cash transfers to the people of this country… We will distribute it in a way that the majority of the people in this country can access resources,” Norton said.
Vice presidential candidate, Ganesh Mahipaul, said that already Guyana was earning a lot of revenue from the four Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels and that with a total of 10 such ships expected to be in operation in another five years, an APNU-led government would have sufficient cash to deliver on its promises.
“If four is giving us so much, imagine what 10 will give us and that is why the plan that the APNU has, it can be financed by oil alone and that is why I am saying to you we are about putting people first,” he said, adding also that an APNU administration would ensure there were no tax increases as “we have enough money to deliver to our people”.
The co-leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr David Hinds, told the crowd that an anti-poverty strategy would also include negotiating acceptable wages and salaries with the trade unions.
“We will sit down with your unions and bargain with your unions to ensure every worker gets a livable wage,” he said.
Hinds appealed to voters to cast their ballots solidly for APNU to bring an end to ills such as blackouts, extrajudicial killings, corruption, and racism. “Do not waste your vote, and in case you like the other word, do not split your vote,” he said.
Norton said that rather than investing massive amounts in the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), an APNU-led administration would provide adequate funds to the University of Guyana (UG) to upgrade its academic programs.
Norton said in the area of sport, funds would be allocated to Guyanese sport competitors, unlike the current administration that greets winners on arrival at the airport but provides no financial support “when they are punishing”.
He accused the government of not completing sporting grounds, especially in the bauxite town of Linden, over the past five years, saying, ‘It irks me every time a young athlete comes to me with a piece of paper saying, ‘I’m going overseas.’ Could you help?’
“Should not occur in oil-rich Guyana, so we’re saying to you that the government will sponsor all our national athletes and they will be paid a salary to stay in sport,” he said.
The APNU has also promised to put an end to what they term “extrajudicial killings” and would seek to bring to an end the situation surrounding the controversial death of 11-year-old Adrianna Young, whose body was found in a pool at the Double Day Hotel in the capital in April.
Norton said if the PNU wins the elections, his new administration would conduct an independent probe into the incident. He is also promising that the Guyana Police Force will be professionalized, which would include the departure of Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken.
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