To a roaring crowd of thousands of supporters, the governing APNU+AFC coalition yesterday launched its bid for a second term in office, with leaders saying that much has been accomplished over the past four years and they have a plan that will ensure that Guyana will never be poor again.
With two months to go until the pivotal March 2nd, 2020 general and regional elections, the leaders of the APNU+AFC coalition made their case to an energetic crowd at D’Urban Park, where President David Granger and presumptive prime ministerial candidate AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan, were the featured speakers. They were joined by AFC youth member Juretha Fernandes at the considerably larger venue compared to when the coalition launched its campaign in 2015 at the Pegasus Hotel. (The hotel’s owner is now the leader of the rival party, Change Guyana.)
The APNU+AFC coalition is seeking to avoid becoming a one-term government, and retain power in a critical time in Guyana’s history as the country becomes an oil producer. The next government will manage unprecedented revenues, with the growth of Guyana’s economy set to skyrocket and the winner of the March 2nd elections likely to set the direction of development for the country for years to come.
This was not lost on the president, who declared that he has a vision for Guyana and its people and asked for five years to continue the progress started in 2015. In his address, Granger declared himself a “see far man.”
“I don’t think in terms of days or weeks or months or years. I think in terms of a whole decade. I’m thinking 10 years ahead to happy families,” he professed to deafening roars of approval.
Granger has previously declared January 1, 2020 as the beginning of the ‘decade of development’. He has promised within this decade, the achievement of a higher quality of life through the use of oil revenues to accelerate the country’s four transformative processes – the ‘green state’, the ‘digital state’, the ‘petroleum state’ and an education nation.
Last evening, he invok-ed these same promises, telling the crowd that the coalition government has a plan.
“We have a plan. We are building back the economy. We are protecting the environment. We have a plan…we are ensuring every child is in school…Guyanese will never be poor again,” he emphasised.
‘Give David some time’
Under the alternating themes of “Moving forward together” and “Forward ever; backward never”, yesterday’s launch also sought to underline the inclusion of different groups with dances from the African, Indian and Indigenous communities. However, it was calypsonian, The Mighty Believer, whose refrain of “Give David some time”, who set the tone for the event.
According to the calypsonian, Guyana has been “corrupt for so long now the right thing looking wrong.”
“David been there just four years/some of you criticism not fair…Granger and government trying they best… Guyana will rise one more time… Give David some time,” he advised.
Granger, meanwhile, mentioned that one of the plans the governing coalition has is constitutional reform, which, according to him, will ensure “that nonsense they tried to do to us over the last 12 months doesn’t happen again.”
“We are a constitutional government and everything we have done over the last 12 months was in accordance with the law and the Constitution,” he claimed.
In December 2018, a no-confidence motion against the APNU+AFC government was passed in the National Assembly after then government parliamentarian Charrandass Persaud voted with the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). The passage of the motion triggered articles 106(6) and 106(7) of the Constitution, which mandates that elections be held within three months but this was delayed by a series of legal challenges initiated by government.
Constitutional reform has been a consistent promise of various governments but once in office, they have not moved on these promises. Since 2015, constitutional reform has been under the purview of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo but little progress has been recorded.
Nagamootoo, who was deposed as the AFC’s choice to be the prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming election, sat through the launch with other members of the coalition, including Jaipaul Sharma of the Justice for All Party and Tabitha Sarabo of the Working People’s Alliance. Also represented at the launch were the Guyana Action Party and the National Front Alliance.
Striking his now memorable pose against the podium, Granger declared himself “unbothered” by the PPP and said that the opposition party cannot stop the progress started by the coalition. He reminded that it was only 10 years ago that the country was plagued by death squads and poverty.
In a pointed reference to the controversy surrounding the academic qualifications of the PPP/C’s presidential candidate, Irfaan Ali, Granger declared that “no one from [the APNU+AFC’s] team has a certificate from the University of Uitvlugt.”
“When I promise you free university education, I didn’t promise you free university certificates. Some people like they got Xerox machine and whenever they want a new one, they just roll off. You can fake all the certificates you want but you can’t fake experience…We got genuine people. The fakes are on the other side,” he stressed.
‘Don’t stop the progress’
According to Granger, over the last four years there has been sustainable economic growth, education improvement, salary increases and infrastructure development.
He focused heavily on the impact of his signature Five B’s project, while noting that with the provision of Buses, Boats, Bicycles, Breakfast and Books, his government has significantly improved access to education.
“We are going to protect your lives and livelihood… We have gone all around this country with outreach programmes, we find out what the people need and want and solve their problems. We satisfy their needs. In short, APNU+AFC deserves a second term,” he concluded.
Also speaking at the launch was Ramjattan, who declared that there is a place for everyone in the coalition.
Though his party has publicly stated that Ramjattan will be the prime ministerial candidate, he was never introduced as such. Instead, his designation was repeatedly stated as Leader of the AFC and Minister of Public Security.
Undaunted, the longtime politician presented a united front with the president and urged citizens to reaffirm their faith in the coalition on March 2nd.
“Never has any government delivered so much in such a short space of time…in four years [the APNU+AFC] has outperformed the PPP,” he said, while adding that a reelected coalition would create a green and prosperous Guyana with bridges over the Demerara, Essequibo and Corentyne.
“We want to wean the next generation from cane cutting where the PPP wants to put them back; don’t stop the progress. We have increased the minimum wage; don’t stop the progress…we have reduced corporate tax; don’t stop the progress,” he chanted to the approval of the crowd.
Declaring that Ali is a puppet of former president Bharrat Jagdeo, Ramjattan told the crowd that the opposition was hoping that the country’s collective memory was short.
“One good term deserves another,” he added, before saying that coalition politics creates the unity which Guyana needs.
A similar argument was presented by AFC youth member Fernandes, who is the current chair of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL).
According to Fernandes, a vote for the coalition is a vote for youth development and a vote to continue the change and transformation that has been taking place.
The APNU+AFC coalition, she argued, is more than a collection of politicians but an embodiment of dreams of cohesion.
