APNU Presidential Candidate David Granger told residents in the Potaro-Siparuni area that his party was committed to consultation and collaboration in land demarcation exercises and would transform the agriculture sector in order to boost their livelihoods.
According to a press release, Granger and a team comprising former members of the National Assembly Dr George Norton and Gloria Bancroft visited the mountainous Pakaraimas area on November 4. The team guaranteed that an APNU administration would also improve infrastructure and install a network of roadways and bridges to expedite the delivery of arm produce to markets, lower the cost-of-living and provide jobs for young people when it met with villagers from Kato, Paramakatoi, Monkey Mountain, Itabac and Kurukubaru.
The party emphasised the importance of reforming the education system and retaining trained and qualified teachers to improve education standards, especially in the mountainous Pakaraimas landscape. Granger noted that the Patamona population was increasing rapidly, along with poverty and unemployment. Residents voiced concerns about land demarcation exercises which they said were being sidestepped by the PPP/C administration. They also complained that the community boasted one secondary school and had far too many untrained and unqualified teachers and school dropouts; poor communication infrastructure and that transportation is costly.
In response, Granger gave assurances that an APNU administration would re-examine all legitimate claims for changes in the land demarcation exercise and would work towards arriving at a consensual solution with the Patamona people. It would also ensure that the delivery of education is improved drastically in the short term in order to stem economic stagnation. Granger then reiterated his pledge to establish a regional Agricultural Science and Technology Institute to introduce new farming techniques to school-leavers and revive the dying economy.
According to the release, the APNU leader lamented that the region’s riches did not benefit its people. The Potaro-Siparuni is Guyana’s largest producer of gold and diamonds and a major producer of timber. The group noted that “The PPP/C’s absent-minded governance and the Region’s excessive dependence on expensive air transport have hindered development of its potential.”
