A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) today said that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration has started its elections campaign with a massive spending spree of state funds. APNU charged that the squandermania is aimed at winning votes from constituents and communities which the PPP/C neglected for years. APNU contended that Ministers Frank Anthony, Norman Whittaker, Pauline Sukhai, Priya Manickchand and Juan Edghill and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds have been in the forefront of the pre-election spending spree and listed the following examples.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony, only this year on the approach to elections, seemed to realise that the celebrated 125 year old Georgetown City Hall was in danger of collapse and needed major restoration. He announced the administration’s intention to expend $200 M to start work on the building.
Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Norman Whittaker unilaterally launched a $500 M ‘Clean-Up My Country’ Programme as an election stratagem in the city of Georgetown. He targeted the Albouystown, Bourda and Stabroek Markets and the urban drainage network. Whittaker also handed over brush cutters to the ten (10) Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and a fogging machine to the Regional Democratic Council in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Region (No.3).
Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai presented school uniform material to eight villages in the Upper Mazaruni sub-district of the Cuyuni Mazaruni Region (No. 7). She has also been making a spectacle of presenting all-terrain vehicles to the Toshaos of several hinterland villages from time to time. She had, earlier this year, tried to secure $1.1B for the Amerindian Development Fund in the 2014 national budget but this was disapproved. The grounds for disapproval were that the payment to Community Support Officers was not likely to be utilised for Amerindian community development but to recruit young activists for the PPP election campaign.
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand waited over six months and is still to disburse the $10,000 grant promised to the families of children at nursery, primary and secondary levels. The financial grant was earmarked in the 2014 national budget earlier this year long before the start of the new school year. Disbursement was delayed in order to ensure greater impact on the PPP election campaign.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edghill who the PPPC has assigned to the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region (No. 10), promised to complete ongoing re-construction of the One-Mile Primary School; the extension of the Upper Demerara Hospital; a Health Centre at Christiansburg; a nurses’ hostel in Kwakwani; drainage, road, and other infrastructure projects.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds took the PPP election campaign to the East Berbice-Corentyne Region (No. 6). His visit was timed to coincide with the donation of netbooks to residents of Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder through the One Laptop Per Family Programme. Hinds also made lavish promises that the government would be installing road lights along the Corentyne Highway and would complete remedial works along the 40 km East Bank Berbice roadway.
