With general elections a few days away, President Donald Ramotar yesterday upped his appeal for votes, announcing an $8b payout from Norway and issuing several statements in which he promised to cut taxes on imported vehicles and hinted at governance changes.
In yesterday’s newspapers, Ramotar also appealed for votes in an open letter in which he blamed the opposition for stymieing progress. Last evening, the campaigning moved several notches up when he issued a statement announcing a fifth tranche of US$40m from Norway under a forest protection agreement and signalled that Oslo was prepared for a second agreement up to 2020. This announcement and several others appeared timed for an impact on Monday’s voting including one by Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud that hydrocarbons had been found at the Esso drill site offshore Guyana but that it was too early to say if it was in commercial quantities.
In his statement on the Norway deal which was worth a maximum of US$250m over five years, Ramotar said the latest $8b tranche brought total payments to $38b or US190m. Guyana has lost some payments during the period for not meeting agreed benchmarks.
The President, facing a stiff challenge from APNU+AFC, lauded the payout as a vote of confidence in his government and in the four-page release said: “All Guyanese should feel proud of the vote in confidence expressed by Norway in announcing that they are willing to pursue a second agreement up to 2020, a policy that only the PPP/C supports in Guyana. And all Guyanese should feel proud that we have earned the most money from a forest partnership in the world, after Brazil. Money that is being directly spent on the people.”
Oslo has so far not said anything publicly on a confirmed second agreement. Ramotar also expounded on the country’s Low Carbon Development Scheme (LCDS) and the planned use of the Norwegian aid.
“I think that some of you might still ask the question: `but what does the LCDS do for me?’ I will give you a clear answer: The LCDS is not just a strategy for the future; it’s a strategy for today. The LCDS is about earning real money that is being spent on addressing serious problems faced by normal Guyanese. That’s where all the money, including the $8 billion received today, will be spent. The LCDS is about fixing the drainage systems in your coastal neighbourhood to ensure that your yard will not be flooded. The LCDS is about making sure that the dry regions of our country have sufficient water all-year round. The LCDS is also about helping farmers to earn more money, about providing cheap electricity for everyone, about stopping the waste problem and about allowing your children to get the highest level of education right here in Guyana. That’s what the LCDS is all about, and that’s what’s in it for you”, he said.
In a separate statement which he said was in response to media questions but did not specify which media, Ramotar said taxes will be reduced on imports of new and used vehicles.
“The new administration of the PPP/C will reduce the taxes to ensure that more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles are used by citizens.
“The new amendments to the importation costs of vehicles will ensure that more of our citizens including young people can own their own new and eco-friendly motor vehicle.
“This commitment is in keeping with our plans as set out for a Green Economy. This new incentive will provide for an economy that is characterized by sustained and inclusive prosperity, as well as one in concord with low-carbon and climate-resilient development”.
A separate statement also addressed governance on which his administration has been pilloried since 2011. It appeared to be a reaction to calls for the Ramotar administration to show in the days before the election that there would be a new culture of accountability if he was re-elected.
The statement said in part:
“My new administration will have changes at every level of governance for Cabinet, Regional Government and the Neighbourhood Democratic Council. This will be done to improve the level of government services and management of the entire country.
“Those persons, who have been committed and served with distinction at the various levels of government services, will be retained. The PPP/C’s commitment has always been to ensure that there are improved government functions to all citizens, and to allow for greater accountability and transparency.
“The PPP/C will continue to operationalize modern and equitable governance approaches in the areas of governing fairly, justly and with respect for the rights of citizens.”
Meanwhile, in yesterday’s newspaper ad, Ramotar made an appeal to opposition supporters to vote for him at Monday’s elections, while saying that they must choose between progress and obstructionism.
“Make the right choice for you and your family,” Ramotar wrote in the open letter.
“A vote for the PPP/C is a vote to secure yours and our country’s future. I ask you to join me in this exciting journey of continuing to build a strong and stable Guyana.”
Ramotar urged opposition supporters to reflect on the progress the country has made in the last 23 years of the PPP/C’s rule.
“I am sure you are fully aware of the many successes achieved over the past twenty three years in Guyana. I am sure that you have seen the evidence of the transformation and modernization our country has undergone over the same period. I am sure that you will acknowledge that our economy continues to grow and that progress is being sustained,” he writes.
According to Ramotar, while the PPP/C sought to give Guyanese a good life, the opposition used its majority in the last Parliament to stymie its plans for development.
“But while much has been achieved, much more that could have been done had the Opposition been more supportive of major projects which would have propelled our nation further forward. If you were to take a few moments and reflect on the performance of the Opposition parties since the 2011 elections, you would realize that they thoroughly misused the one seat majority during the 10th Parliament,” he argues.
“Instead of using their one seat majority to bring about consensus and development, the Opposition parties employed it as a weapon of retribution and obstructionism, to hold back the development of Guyana,” he further states.
He opines that the actions of the opposition has hurt all Guyanese and deprived them of the benefits of visionary projects.
“Had the Opposition parties acted with your interests in mind, elections may not have been necessary so soon. We could have used the time before elections were constitutionally mandated to continue to build political consensus and to complete the promises that the PPP/C made to you in 2011,” he adds.
“The PPP/C’s vision is for all of our people to be involved and to share in the successes of our nation. You are integral to this process,” he further states, before asking opposition supporters to consider the choices before them.
