While assuring that that their votes would not be taken for granted, President David Granger last evening appealed to Lindeners and the nation to give his government a second term in office to continue the “sound” developmental policies his APNU+AFC coalition has initiated since its election in 2015.
“Linden loves the PNC and the PNC loves linden. It is a love affair. I don’t question Linden, ah learn good… you have stood by us through hard times and we will stand by you. PNC will never let Linden down,” Granger told attendees at rally in Linden to mark the 62nd anniversary of the party.
To the more than 2,000 persons who lined the streets at Congress Square, Co-op Crescent, Mackenzie, Linden, an exuberant Granger, who is the PNCR leader, expressed gratitude for the “unshakeable solidarity”. He said it was a reflection of the love the people of Linden had for the current government. It is why, he said, his party pledges to reverse “the decay and neglect” that Region 10 was left in after 23 years of PPP/C rule.
Referring to his party as the pioneer leader of this country since independence, he said under PNC founder leader Forbes Burnham the country’s most prominent infrastructural projects, such as the Linden Highway, Timehri International Airport and a number of housing schemes were rolled out.
It was to continue those works and to again give fair leadership and governance that the party, through the coalition APNU+AFC, Granger said, should be given another term in office unhindered.
“From the time we were born, we were born to lead and we are leading the country to greater independence now in 2019. From the time it came in to government, the PNC demonstrated it was fit to lead…,” he said.
“Now my brothers and sisters, we are in government again. Eight years ago, we founded APNU and four years ago, we went into an alliance to form a coalition with the AFC. This is the first time in the history of Guyana that a six party coalition has formed the government. We formed because that is what the people wanted. They don’t want to see winner takes all. They don’t want to see one-party government. They got what they asked for. Look at our record… We deserve another five years to conduct, to carry on the work we have started…give us a chance,” he added.
He said that when the coalition assumed responsibility for the governance of the nation, it was left to fix a number of maladies left by the PPP/C and it was a difficult time. Nonetheless, Granger said that through perseverance and work plans, it has addressed most the major issues.
“Sometimes you hear lies from lying people… but from the time we got into office the economy has been growing. We are putting right a lot of the damage the PPP left us with. We are fixing the school at Kato, the stelling at Supenaam… we couldn’t fix the sugar factory at Skeldon. That needs medical attention. Long ago we used to have a doctor in Forshaw Street named Dr Hugh but what Bharrat Jagdeo left us with, he can’t cut it,” he said.
Granger cited other projects such as the billion dollar fibre optic project of the Donald Ramotar-led PPP/C administration that had to be scrapped. “Some things we can try to fix but others? Bharrat and others left us with some serious injuries… and when we got into office it wasn’t easy,” he emphasised.
Granger also said that despite the attempts to stymie his government’s work, the party didn’t lose focus and the investments received are a reflection of that. “They tried to stop us but we will continue our work,” he said while noting that “last year we had $89 billion in new investments. In one year alone….”
And while the figure was emphasised, the President did not list or explain which sectors saw the investments nor did he name any of the projects under the said investments.
Other achievements that voters must reflect on, he said, are the works done by his coalition in the areas of security and transparent governance. “Look at what is happening in terms of security. We’ve done away with the hooliganism of the PPP, the massacres, ‘The Troubles.’ We have done away with the death squads, the phantom units. We have restored calm and we will continue to restore calm after March 2nd next year,” he said to loud applause and chants.
“The days of The Troubles must never return. The days of the phantom squads must never return, the days of extra-judicial killings must never return, the days of drug wars must never return,” he added.
Saying that the PPP/C was to blame for trying to hinder the progress when it successfully passed a no-confidence motion to fell his government last December, he noted that there will be attempts by the opposition to garner the support of Lindeners. And when that time comes, the Granger said that Lindeners must pay no heed and remember the oppression they felt under the PPP/C.
Already, according to Granger, the PPP/C has been trying to galvanize a support base in the mining town.
“Linden if y’all see a man walking around here in holy garments, he is a hooligan. I hear he been walk about Linden. He is a hooligan, a fake. A f-a-k-e. You know the man? Is who?” as the people screamed PPP/C campaigner Juan Edghill’s name.
Granger also urged the people to look at track records in addition to the plans that are being outlined.
Pointing to education as the driver for much of the plans the coalition has, Granger said that his government vows to ensure that quality education is affordable to all. In recent months, the president has been underscoring that quality education has always been a top priority and that he eagerly awaits 2020 to launch his much anticipated decade of development programme, where the constitutional right of free education from nursery to university will be enforced.
Elections are due to be held on March 2nd, 2020.
