Privatisation of the sugar industry is one of the policies that The United Force (TUF) will be advocating as it seeks at least two seats in the National Assembly at Monday’s general elections.
“A privatisation of the industry but not like (government holding company) NICIL where it still ends up with the government, it must be in the hands of the people the same way the rice sector is in the hands of the people,” the party’s prime ministerial candidate Roy Van Tholl said during an interview with Stabroek News. TUF’s presidential candidate Marissa Nadir and executive member Dr Victor Allen also participated in the interview.
TUF, which as the United Force had formed a historic alliance with the PNC in 1964, contested the 2011 elections but did not win a seat.
The trio outlined the policies that TUF would like to pursue and Nadir said that TUF does not expect to be the next government but instead aims to achieve at least two seats which they will use to “start to be the voice of change and [the] representing voice of the young people” of Guyana.
“We recognise that in order to implement changes on the scale we want to, we must be in government but as members of parliament with our two seats we are going to be the deciding vote,” Nadir asserted.
TUF continues to advocate for Guyana to be a people’s enterprise capitalist country and they believe that government should not participate in commercial activities. One of their plans is to facilitate the sale of land used to grow sugarcane to farmers who will initially sell to the factories and eventually buy the factories themselves in shares.
Among the other issues they hope to address should they gain a parliamentary seat or two, are efficient and effective government services and the provision of a living wage.
Addressing the issue of efficient and effective government services, Nadir said that citizens have complained about the level of service in the health sector and other government agencies where they conduct business. “Most have to travel to Georgetown which they find difficult, even those who live in Georgetown find it difficult. Simple things take a long time and frustrate people. The attitude of government agencies is as if they are doing you a favour,” Nadir said.
Allen spoke of the lack of basic medical facilities and support in communities and mentioned citizens’ concerns about earning a living wage. “They work but are unable to provide for themselves and their family, [the] salary [is] not sufficient for them to survive on. This is most concerning for them [as] they can see the extravagance of others while the hard working Guyanese can’t afford a standard of living which is Godly,” he said.
Van Tholl noted that this is the source of corruption. “They don’t have enough money to take care of themselves, this is why they want to get something from the outside,” he said.
The difference between them and the other parties according to Van Tholl, is that the TUF always looks forward. “They are talking about the anti-money laundering bill, TUF had it 10 years ago,” he stressed.
Nadir also said that the other parties have copied policy plans from old TUF manifestos. “They have copied them but copied them many years later,” she said.
The party’s leadership is asking Guyanese youths to look beyond the speeches of other politicians who may impress with their public speaking skills. “Think of who will be working for you when you are at work being underpaid and overworked, who can you turn to for representation? Are there networks or avenues for the youth today,” Allen asked. “As a youth I feel like my only option is to run, escape and this should not be the option,” he stressed. ‘’Over the last 50 odd years, little has been gained by putting your vote against the party with the fancy speeches. These are my views. What are your views? Let your views be heard through us.”
TUF has contested every election in Guyana since 1964 and has been approved to contest in all geographical regions in the 2015 elections. It is an “old party with new faces,” Nadir said. She said that the current leadership has the backing of the older executive members as well as their traditional support base and they intend to run a campaign committed to “betterment over bitterness.”
“Our older executive members are still there,” the presidential candidate said identifying members such as Dennis Lee, Geraldine Charles and Murtland Williams who was present when the party’s list of candidate was presented to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Nomination Day.
These older members, according to Nadir, have said that they wish to retire from active participation and only offer consultative support. “They have said to us: we are older, you are the children, you are the ones who are going to make a difference we want to retire, we are here,” she said while emphasising that “we still consult with our executive members when it comes to decision making processes because our party has a constitution and we adhere to that.”
The party has been mobilising its supporters. “Over the last two years we have been going into the communities and making one-on-one contact with the people. We may not have been commenting
