Geoffrey Sankies, a member of the coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) last night accused the ruling party PPP/C of trying to buy its way to victory and urged supporters to ensure that they cast their votes.
“Whatever you do, make sure that on November 28, you vote for APNU,” he told a sizeable crowd during a public meeting at the entrance to Rasville, as persons cheered and nodded in agreement.
“Comrades it is very important for every single person to cast their vote,” he later said noting that in 2006, some 60,000 persons in Region Four did not vote
He said his party wants this country to move ahead and this could only be accomplished if all Guyanese come together. Sankies noted that investment and more importantly education are critical parts of the plan.
He explained that the aim is to educate young people and then provide them with jobs. He said that the issue of wages and salaries is a very important matter and singled out members of the disciplinary services “who are not being paid properly. We don’t want police to be begging on the streets”. He said that teachers, nurses and members of the public service also have to be paid well, a task that will be undertaken by an APNU-led government.
Taxes, he noted, are too heavy, and these will be reviewed by his party. “The 16% VAT must go, we must pay less than that. In fact APNU has been promising 10% VAT,” he stressed.
He accused the PPP/C of being corrupt and robbing Guyanese in the process. According to Sankies, the issuing of contracts to persons who do “shabby work” is an example.
Sankies told the gathering that with an APNU government they will have a “change for the better”.
Later, Region Four Chairman Clement Corlette addressed members of the gathering, some of whom brought their chairs.
Corlette stated that he was there to help prepare “your minds” for the elections. He later asked supporters if they were prepared and the response was a resounding yes. He warned them that the ruling party is using “deceptions” to try to throw them off guard. “The PPP is definitely the injured party at this time…,” he said.
He said that the ruling party is trying to portray the APNU as having disruptive supporters. “Be careful with that perception because they are trying to belittle you. They are trying to lower your esteem and they are consistently using the footage from when you went to support your team on nomination day,” he added.
He described APNU supporters as kind and exuberant when showing their support for the party. He labelled the PPP/C as a “party of deceptions”. He used the issues surrounding President Jagdeo and former first lady Varshnie Singh as an example of the deception. He even pointed out that the Office of the President released the benefits of the former first ladies and the former presidents to the press but Singh’s name is not on that list.
Corlette said that there are lots of allegations that “people are buying people card. I want to warn you, for heaven sakes don’t sell your card”. He said that on the East Coast there are allegations that persons are being paid. “Comrades don’t fall for these deceptions,” he said amidst shouting from supporters.
He told supporters that they have encountered 19 years of “partisan, dictatorial government under this PPP and it’s time for a change. The APNU will liberate this country come the 28th of November; they have to go.”
