Co-Chair of the APNU+AFC campaign Joseph Harmon yesterday denied that the incumbent is using state resources as part of its re-election efforts.
“It’s a ridiculous assertion… because we are not using the state’s funds,” Harmon declared on the sidelines of the coalition’s manifesto launch, which was live streamed by staff of the Department for Public Information (DPI).
He further said that the funds being used for the coalition’s campaign for the March 2nd polls “are funds which we have raised as a result of persons who [see in] the programmes which we are embracing a future for Guyana and want to invest in that future.”
Asked specifically how much the coalition has spent on its campaign, which has been extended throughout the length and breadth of Guyana, Harmon said he could not give a figure but stressed that “elections campaigning is very expensive.”
He further noted that a decision on the release of campaign financing information would be made at the end of the campaign. “All of our campaign managers are required to prepare a statement and I suppose at the appropriate time, we will make that call,” Harmon said.
The APNU+AFC coalition had promis-ed as part of its 2015 manifesto to formulate new campaign financing regulation and devise a legal framework for registration of political parties. However, this was not done.
Ahead of the last general elections, then opposition leader David Granger had accused the former government of engaging in “squandermania” as part of its campaign.
“The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration has started its elections campaign with a massive spending spree of state funds. The squandermania is aimed unapologetically at winning votes from constituents and communities which the PPP/C has neglected for years,” Granger told a press conference in September 2014.
The roles have since been reversed as opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo has accused Granger of the same.
Jagdeo criticised Granger for using a Guyana Defence Force helicopter to travel to a governing part rally at the Hopetown Community Centre.
“We’ve seen the abuse of State resources. I gather Granger has a hard time walking around too much [and] moving around, so he resorts now to using the helicopter,” he told a January 9th press conference on the day after the rally.
Jagdeo has also criticised the governing party’s use of the state media for campaign purposes. “The Chronicle is the campaign arm of APNU funded by taxpayers. NCN and other state media are the same thing. The government Information network is the same thing, DPI they call it now,” he said.
DPI has been live streaming APNU+AFC events on the APNU+AFC Facebook page.
No other party has received coverage that is even similar in quantity or quality.
“We are concerned about the use of state media and funds from the state that are being used as campaign tools and which gives them an electoral advantage. You know, the solar panels, school grants and so on,” Granger had said in January, 2015.
