-key promises remain unfulfilled
With today marking four years since the 2015 General Elections, the APNU+AFC government has boasted of its achievements since winning power, saying that within a short space of time, it has achieved more than any previous administration but key elements of its 2015 manifesto including constitutional reform, remain unfulfilled.
“Avoiding public fanfare and triumphalism, the Coalition Government steered the country forward as a stable and growing economy; promoted and defended its sovereignty and territorial integrity; restored respect for Guyana as a democracy in which all human rights and press freedom are protected; and supported and encouraged social cohesion among our multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, plural population,” the government said in a statement yesterday.
“Over these past four years, the policies and programmes of the Coalition Government have favourably impacted every aspect of life in Guyana, from the coastland to the hinterland, and in our riverain and indigenous communities. No government before has done more within such a short span of time,” it said.
The last general and regional elections were held on May 11th, 2015, and President David Granger was sworn in on the May 16th, 2015 with that date marking the beginning of APNU+AFC’s governance of the nation, taking over after 23 years of the PPP/C in government. The new administration was initially hailed and expectations were high but after a series of missteps and with a razor-thin majority in the National Assembly, before it even reached four years in power, the government was felled by a no-confidence vote last December after then-government Member of Parliament Charrandass Persaud defected to vote with the opposition PPP/C. The government managed to cling to power after the Appeal Court ruled in its favour but the case is now before the Caribbean Court of Justice.
With today being the anniversary of the historic 2015 elections, the administration has boasted of its achievements. Among other things, it pointed to increased salaries, pensions and social assistance; twice holding local government elections which were denied for over 20 years; the creation of three new townships; the commissioning of six regional radio stations together with internet connectivity to remote communities; and the reduction of Berbice River bridge tolls.
It also said that after giving some $43 billion in “bailouts” and severance payments to the sugar industry, the government “took drastic action to save and secure the jobs of over 10,000 workers”; and intervened in defence of bauxite workers. This drastic action resulted in the loss of 7,000 jobs.
“These are years to remember as our country emerged from the shadows of an authoritarian, narco-criminalised state into a respectable democracy that stands on the firm shoulders of the Constitution of the Republic, and guarantees the Rule of Law and the Separation of Powers, under which the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature enjoy full independence,” the statement said.
Gigantic task
“Emerging from a past that was characterised by “pervasive corruption” and systemic, political patronage, it had become a gigantic task for our Government to combat and reduce acts of institutionalised criminality, corrupt practices and discourage conflict of interest situations. This remains an incomplete national task. But our Government has taken legislative and administrative steps to fight tax evasion, the illicit contraband trade, piracy, trafficking in persons, money laundering, abuse of the procurement pro-cesses, and non-compliance with requirements to ensure integrity in public life,” it said.
The statement added that since 2015, there have been incremental improvements in the delivery and reliability of electricity supplies nationwide, expansion of potable water facilities and installation of several heavy-duty pumps to reduce seasonal flooding. In the social sectors, greater financial allocations for public education, health and housing have resulted in remarkable and better results, the statement said.
“These have been challenging but hopeful years that prove that Guyana could emerge from poor governance and sloth in socio-economic development. Fresh hope has been provided by our Govern-ment’s green growth pathway, our diversified but balanced agro-industrial strategy, and plans for prudent use of our oil revenues to enrich the lives and living standards of all of our people. The good news is that the APNU+AFC Coalition Government has brought Guyana, in these past four years, to the door-step of unprecedented wealth with imminent production from our off-shore wells, that hold an estimated 5.5 billion barrels of oil,” the statement said.
It said that May 11, 2019 marks the gateway to new opportunities, and the prospects for a return of the Coalition, for a second consecutive term, as the “best-ever” Government of Guyana.
Nonetheless, key elements of its 2015 campaign manifesto are still to be fulfilled. Perusal of the 2015 party manifesto shows that promises of equipping the people for mass entrepreneurial growth, pursuing options for attracting foreign investment, implementing measures for cheap energy through hydro, constitutional reform, telecommunications liberalisation, among other promises, are still to be realised.
The manifesto listed 15 “Interconnected Foundations for Development,” which it emphasised were to be “all equally important and must be implemented in an integrated way.” The foundations for development were created from the party’s “diagnosis” of the PPP/C’s 23-year governance, the manifesto pointed out.
Aspiring to achieve rapid economic growth and development that it believed would transform this country’s economy, the coalition said that it implement a strategy for meaningful job creation with adequate wages and remuneration. “Through our detailed programme for transforming the productive and emerging sectors of the economy, APNU+AFC will foster and facilitate the upgrading of skills for our people for the enhancement of industrial growth and the development of value-added services,” the manifesto stated.
However, with four estates closed and over 7,000 laid off sugar workers added to already large unemployment numbers, government continues to be roasted by the opposition for its failure to address the human impacts of the closure of four Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) estates, and provide and act upon, policies or programmes to mitigate the suffering of those affected.
Further, GuySuCo, though NICIL, had secured a $30 billion bond since last year March to recapitalise the country’s three remaining estates but the corporation’s executives continue to lament that the money is not given in the proportion needed to execute necessary plans. GuySuCo’s executives have said that the proposed approach to utilise the money will not enable the corporation to achieve the goals and objectives in its Strategic Plan.
Overall, as it pertains to production transformation and economic diversification, where the coalition boasted that it will restore agriculture to its once vibrant self, many believe that government has also failed.
Intense scrutiny
Two years into its governance, the APNU+AFC administration had come under intense scrutiny from the private sector over what was seen as lacklustre economic performance, a weakening currency and major outstanding decisions on the sugar industry, which the private sector warned could result in loss of jobs.
Another two years have passed and the private sector is still bemoaning government’s unfulfilled promise to effectively push to diversify the economy into agro-processing, move to implement alternative energy projects, specifically hydro, to address the cost for energy use here, and most importantly, job creation.
Political reforms formed Foundation 5 of the manifesto which focused extensively on it. The coalition’s manifesto said that it recognised that the Constitution in its current form did not serve the best interest of Guyana or its people. It is to this end that the coalition promised swift actions to realise the reformations needed.
“Within three months of taking up office, APNU+AFC will appoint a Commission to amend the Constitution with the full participation of the people. The new Constitution will put the necessary checks and balances in place to consolidate our ethos of liberal democracy. Freedom of speech, reduction of the power of the President and the Bill of Rights will be enshrined in the document,” the manifesto stated.
However, although there has been movement, progress has been slow and many have accused the government of not being interested in effecting constitutional reform.
The Constitutional Reform Consultative Commission Bill 2017 was read for the first time on July 27, 2017 by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. According to the explanatory memorandum, the bill is aimed at reforming the charter so that it is more inclusive, democratic and transparent.
But it has not moved forward since and both sides of the House continue to trade blame for the sloth in advancing.
According to former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, the Guyanese public is accustomed to the fierce partisan disputes between the political parties in Guyana’s adversarial political system but he thinks both sides do not want the process to continue as it serves their respective purposes.
“On this matter…there appears to be an uncommon unity. APNU+AFC and the PPP are represented in the Standing Committee for Constitutional Reform. No movement in this Committee in relation to the Constitution Reform Bill suggests that all the parties, including APNU+AFC, are either united in delaying the Bill and embarrassing the Prime Minister and Government. And this state of affairs persists despite a similar, earlier, explanation by the Prime Minister,” he observed.
“Should the public now conclude that both APNU+AFC and the PPP are now united in their opposition to progress on the Bill and hence to constitutional reform,” he asked.
Liberalisation of the telecoms sector or breaking the GTT monopoly has been on the agenda of recent governments for at least 15 years and APNU+AFC boldly promised that within 100 days of taking office, it would liberalise the sector. However, it has not been an easy task, which government chalked up to legalities in their agreement with GTT.
In October last year, Minister of Public Telecommunications Catherine Hughes assured that she was working around the clock to ensure that the end-of-year deadline for the liberalisation of the telecoms sector was met.
In March of this year, a Memorandum of Understanding, while non-binding, was signed between government and GTT. Government said it represents a major step toward fully liberalising Guyana’s telecommunications market. The parties have further agreed to continue talks on all outstanding issues with the objective of reaching a binding agreement.
Government is also credited for achieving much of the 21 plans on its 100-day programme, such as the reduction of the Berbice Bridge toll, increased public servants’ salaries, removing VAT from food and essential items, returning the Linden television station to the people and establishing the Public Procurement Commission, among others.
Additionally, while it has kept its promise for the adoption of a long-term sustainable economic development plan to realise the vast potential of this country when it developed its Green State Development Strategy, it is unclear what programmes and measures are being used to achieve this goal.
Proliferation
The coalition also promised to address crime and is credited for the cracking of many cold cases, the extradition of an alleged murderer, and the reduction in violent crimes. However, members of the public, on social media, have recently been highlighting the proliferation of crimes such as armed robberies and snatching of personal items. Many observers have attributed the increase to the core issue of unemployment, especially amount urban youth, and there are daily calls for government to address both issues as it promised to not only tackle crime holistically but fashion policies to address unemployment for this country’s youth.
In not fulfilling some of its key manifesto promises, it has been suggested that the magnitude of oil discoveries offshore Guyana and its potential transformative impact on the country, have changed many of the proposed policies and other drivers for both government and the opposition.
