Declaring that it was not a one-man show, freshly minted PNCR presidential candidate David Granger says he will discuss elections strategy with party leader Robert Corbin and warned that corruptly conceived projects will be rolled back under any government led by him.
Having been elevated to lead the PNCR into national elections later this year, the retired army brigadier is counting on the party’s full support, foreseeing a tough road to Shiv Chanderpaul Drive.
“It would be hard work but we have a team, we have workers in the field and I think by the time we’re ready to launch our campaign which probably could be done in a few days time in March, we will be able to send out workers into all of the regions and try to persuade them to support the PNCR”, said Granger in an interview with Stabroek News yesterday.
Meetings with Party Leader, Corbin, as well as the General Council and Central Executive Committee of the PNCR, to map a broad election strategy are planned. “I’m not a dictator, it’s not a one man show and I will work out with Mr. Corbin what our election strategy is and we will lay those plans before the Central Executive and the General Council so that the decisions that are taken there can be enforced by party members throughout the country”, Granger said.
On Saturday evening, following a six-month party process, Granger captured the most votes to become the PNCR’s presidential candidate for the national polls constitutionally due later this year. He was followed closely by former CARICOM economist, Carl Greenidge who was trailed by PNCR Vice-Chairman, Basil Williams, former Minister, Dr. Faith Harding and attorney, James Bond.
The PNCR heads into new territory with Corbin retaining his party leader post while Granger is the Presidential Candidate. In the past, the Party Leader was the Presidential Candidate.
Granger acknowledged that the PNCR’s constitution at present doesn’t cater for the Presidential candidate post but brushed off concerns about who will be the major decision maker for the campaign. “In the electoral language of Guyana I’ll become head of the list which means that I’ll be a principal determinant of the election policy of the party but in consultation with the organs of the party, which are the Congress, the Central Executive Committee and the General Council”, he said. Granger pointed out that he has been elected and “I think my opinions will be counted in those various councils”.
Granger expressed confidence in his support. While he won the post with only 42% of the votes, he said that it was not a problem. He said that he viewed the process to select the presidential candidate as democratic and as being “a sort of long-running discussion so the people who did not win I don’t regard as enemies or people who I have to bring over.”
“They’re party members and they will remain party members and now that I’m the presidential candidate I would expect that the whole party would rally behind me because that was what the process set out to do so I don’t think there’s a problem of integrating the people who didn’t vote for me (because) the party is still united and I was free to address groups and eventually the party will develop its own manifesto and I expect all the party members to support that manifesto”, he said.
He added that the party is not divided into factions so he can count on party unity. However, he noted that in campaigning nationally, there are constituencies which might not be friendly to the Party and the PPP has some control over parts of the countryside and other areas so it would be hard work but the Party has its workers.
Financing
In relation to financing, Granger accepted that this can be an issue. “There are always problems because the country is a poor country but we have friends and we will approach those friends for assistance”, he said adding that friends in the Diaspora can be approached also.
Questioned on his views as to whether mass demonstrations can be a tactic used to bring pressure on the government in relation to issues of national concern, Granger said that the National Assembly is the place to deal with issues. “My preference is for parliamentary articulation of grievances in the National Assembly”, he said. “If it is impossible to get justice, for example during the period of extra-judicial killings it seems that the government resisted demands to investigate the complaints about police harassment and extra-judicial killings, (then) I think there would be a justification for going on the street or taking extra-parliamentary action to call attention to those grievances but street protest is not a policy, it is perhaps a last resort”, he added.
Meanwhile, asked whether a Granger administration would seek to reverse any major project started by this government found to be improperly conceived or
corrupt, he responded that if something was being illegally done, he has a duty to stop the illegality. “If I were elected President I would not continue any illegality. If something is illegal, its illegal regardless of who started it so I would have want to regularize anything that was irregular, I’d want to legalize anything that was illegal”, he said. “If perhaps somebody is culpable, if somebody was guilty of an offence that person could be bought before a court of law and have charges laid against him or her”, Granger added.
Granger said that the process was an education for him. “I’m glad I went into the process because I’ll be able to integrate some of the things I learnt into the elections manifesto” so it was a very useful experience for me”.
He noted that he had laid out what his policy is likely to be, putting a lot of emphasis on employment for young people, reform of the education system so the people coming out of the schools could be better educated and could be fitted into employment in their particular regions and regional development.
Granger said that he regards security as a pre-condition for other forms of development. In order to have investment in the country, in order to develop, for people to feel safe, for people to want to come back home and build houses, for people to carry on their every-day business they have to be safe, he said. “I am only emphasizing public safety in the sense that it is hampering other forms of development”, he said noting that education is more important.
He pointed to the brain drain saying that people are reluctant to stay in the country because it’s unsafe or maybe because salaries are low. Conditions of service need to be improved if the brain drain is to be reversed, he said.
Meantime, in an interview on the Plain Talk show yesterday with Christopher Ram, Granger said he is going to object to the use of state funds for electioneering. He said that this objection would be made in parliament by the Party’s representatives. On Guysuco, he expressed the view that the country has “to diversify eventually out” of sugar but he could not say how long it would take. He said in the longer term, the various possibilities have to be examined. Granger pointed to the production of value-added and high-end products. He also said that mechanization and diversification are some of the things that have to be looked at noting that management remains a problem.
On several issues, he spoke of reconvening the constitutional reform commission to examine these. He said that the Former President’s Benefits Bill is “offensive”. On reform of the governance structure, Granger said that his intention is to look at governance in a holistic manner and he would start by reconvening the constitutional reform commission. “I don’t intend to do patchwork on the constitution or governance”, he said.
