Sophia residents were last evening urged to join the ‘Granger movement’ and vote for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) as the party has the best plans for the development of Guyana and two highly qualified grassroots leaders who can make their dreams for a better life come true.
Several of the coalition’s members addressed a sizeable crowd at the Red Shop, ‘E’ Field Sophia more than an hour after the scheduled start. There were issues with the police regarding where the meeting was to be held.
During the meeting which lasted just over two hours, residents gyrated to several party jingles that were played at intervals.
Residents were urged to put their Xs by the palm on November 28 if they wanted better infrastructure, protection, educational opportunities for their children and in general a better life. They were told that the current government had neglected them when they chose to open other housing schemes without ensuring that their community had good roads and acceptable water and electricity supply.
Christopher Jones, addressing the crowd most of whom openly showed their support for APNU, said only that party had the power to “change the situation in this country”. He said Sophia residents are victims of the worst situations in this country on a daily basis.
He said government officials often talk about progress in Guyana. “Residents you experience progress?” he questioned. Resident responded with a resounding “no”.
Jones who is part of the APNU leadership team said that President Bharrat Jagdeo cannot compare himself to David Granger neither can the PPP/C presidential candidate Donald Ramotar.
He told residents that they needed to go to polling stations very early in the morning and put two Xs next to the palm; once at the top and again at the bottom.
“Wherever you live comrades, you have to take the message of the APNU back home. You have to ensure that everyone in your home has their national identification cards. You have to ensure that your neighbours have their national identification cards,” he stressed. He urged residents to put their differences aside and look at their future. He stressed that this election is very important to our future.
“The 28th of November as some residents put it is do or die because should you allow the PPP back in power, comrades they will cement themselves and you have to ensure that that does not happen,” he said amidst applause from the crowd. He said that discrimination against Sophia residents was evident after the 2006 elections, when the counts showed that the PNCR won that electoral district by a landslide.
Jones claimed that over $300 million was spent by the PPP to put up billboards and posters adding that if one is to tally how much it would cost to fix the roads, dig the drains and put street lights throughout Sophia, the figure would be lower.
“You have to ensure that when the results are announced that the APNU wins resoundingly in Sophia,” he stressed.
He said that one can feel the wind of change that is coming to Guyana.
Attorney-at-law James Bond also a member of the APNU leadership team later said that Sophia was in existence long before schemes such as Diamond and Parfait Harmonie, but still lacked basic facilities.
“You cannot afford to support a party that does not care about you,” he said adding that billions of dollars are available to do roads but Sophia is being neglected.
He stated too that young men from the community are rounded up like “cows and cattle” and labelled as criminals.
Bond recalled seeing an elderly man fetching water from a hole and dismissed this as “nonsense”. He said that he walked through parts of Sophia and was shocked at what he saw.
“We cannot afford to be disrespected, we are a proud people,” he said adding that Granger was just like them; he came from humble beginnings. He said that education is needed to “take us to higher heights”.
He said that a government needs to not only make education accessible but ensure that getting children to school and having things to put in their lunch kits was easier.
Bond said APNU would be a caring government that would ensure that residents are taken out of poverty.
He said his party would ensure that young people and single parent mothers have access to financing to build homes and start businesses.
