Dear Editor,
For someone who writes to the editor a lot, Mr Keith Bernard, judging from his letter in SN of 12 November (under the title “How many more strategic meetings must the PNCR have before they learn that spin doesn’t win elections”), could justifiably be accused of insufficient reading or, possibly, of having a political axe to grind. The very newspaper, SN, which publishes his frequent letters, has carried several reports (albeit, far from all) in recent years providing ample details on the PNCR’s plan that make Mr Bernard’s rhetorical scoff “But what’s in these plans, really?” a limp swipe.
Surely, Mr Bernard reads material in the SN far more than his own letters. For his convenience, however, let me recap some of the party’s concrete plans. As the next government, the PNCR/APNU will guarantee all Guyanese households a livable income in line with their family size and composition, family needs, and any increase in living costs. The party intends to guarantee this livable income by (i) increasing real employment, (ii) increasing wages of government employees by 35% graduated (benefitting over 70,000 persons), (iii) doubling State pension for the 70,000+ elderly Guyanese, (iv) subsidizing electricity (no payment for bills up to $10,000 a month), water (no payment for bills up to $5,000/mth), rent and mortgage (where these costs account for a large share of household income), travel and cooking gas, (v) abolishing personal income tax for most employed and self-employed persons by raising the tax-free threshold to $400,000/mth and setting that figure as a tax allowance. If, therefore, you earn $500,000/mth, Mr Bernard, you would pay tax only on the difference of $100,000/mth. This entire tax policy will benefit around 220,000 employees in both the public and private sectors. And, along with salary increases and other benefits, will forever eliminate from our ranks the working poor, (vi) introducing a monthly stipend of $50,000 for tertiary-level students (University of Guyana, GTI, NATI, GTIC, etc) from lower-income households, (vii) establishing a comprehensive Early Childhood Care and Education system with, for instance, more maternity/parental leave and a monthly childcare allowance for children up to 16 years, (viii) paying a Good Governance Dividend (the tens of billions of dollars saved from slashing the inherited rampant PPP corruption and financial waste) of, at least, $100,000 every year predictably to all citizens or to the adult population, and (ix) ramping up support for the micro- and small-business sector through grants, soft loans, and technical assistance. The intention is to implement these and other socio-economic measures in the party’s first year in government or as soon as it can set up the administrative systems.
The PNCR/APNU’s commitment is based on (i) its moral obligation as the next government to the people of Guyana; (ii) respecting and guaranteeing the human rights of all citizens to a high quality of life; and (iii) investing in the enhancement of human resources for national economic growth and development.
Yes, the party has outlined how it will fund these expenditures, how it will manage the oil and gas sector (Mr Bernard, please review its 20-point statement on oil and gas, released last month) and how it will grow the non-oil economy. Outside of economics, the party has also released concrete plans on protecting Guyana’s territorial integrity, advancing national security, and improving race relations, good governance, and other quality of life issues. For convenience, I have attached several links in the comments section below Mr Bernard’s letter in SN.
Yours faithfully,
Sherwood Lowe
