When A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Presidential Candidate David Granger continued his campaign meeting citizens in Georgetown recently, residents complained about the lack of jobs for youths in their communities and expressed distress over the unhealthy environment and the deteriorating infrastructure.
They particularly cited roads and drains which flood easily after a few hours of rainfall.
According to an APNU press release yesterday, Granger expressed alarm at the high rate of youth unemployment and bemoaned the fact that Sophia – Georgetown’s largest ward – had only one primary school.
He accused the PPP/C administration of damaging the education system and that in turn has impaired young people’s employment pros-pects.
The APNU presidential candidate undertook to provide jobs for urban youths through enhanced skills, technical and vocational training, especially in agro-processing and by introducing a comprehensive micro-credit scheme.
And Granger responding to complaints about the city’s unhealthy environment noted that “Georgetown is in this state largely because the PPP/Civic administration is strangling the City Council.”
He then referred to former Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall’s notorious remark – that he would be glad if there was a health crisis in Georgetown because the City Council would be blamed for it – as being typical of the PPP’s attitude to citizens. “We need to put people in government who will move this country forward, not people who are trying to hold things back and who are trying to create an epidemic,” Granger declared.
The APNU presidential candidate also stated that the PPP/C had neglected the entire South Georgetown. However, Granger promised that better days will come under an APNU administration. “We cannot go on living as we’ve been living over the last nineteen years under the PPP; we have to make a change.”
He also promised, “I will treat you like citizens…we will give you the services that are needed in any community.”
Granger committed APNU to repair the education system by solving the problems affecting the teaching profession. He promised to provide “one laptop per teacher,” and to increase salaries, extend the length of service and establish housing schemes for teachers in order to discourage emigration and improve the education system.
Meanwhile he underscored his belief that education is essential to improving Guyana and pointed out that none of the other presidential candidates have been speaking about providing for teachers and improving the education sector.
Moreover, Granger said that every primary school pupil will be given books, snacks, transportation and uniforms. “We will make dropping out of school history. Schools will be the best looking institutions in the community – with modern classrooms, libraries and computer laboratories.”
