Sectoral performances… Failing to give youth hope is Ramotar’s major failure – Granger

Opposition Leader, David Granger, has said that the biggest failure of the Donald Ramotar presidency is Ramotar’s

Opposition Leader, David Granger

inability to give young Guyanese hope. Ranking as the second most worrying failure of the current administration in Granger’s estimation is the continuous degeneration of public security systems. Granger was at the time, responding to a question, at the coalition’s end of year press conference. He was asked to say which sector performed the worst based on his observations and which ministerial division, at least, made some commendable efforts to clean up its act. “Well that is a hard choice. There are so many failures but which is the worst? My view is that it would be the failure to give the youth hope. They are our future; Ramotar’s failure to give youth hope through the education system and job creation is probably the most serious of all of his failures. The young people who should be taking over this country have been migrating in droves, he said, and they have had little to look forward to from the People’s Progressive Party in terms of educational opportunities and jobs,” the Opposition leader explained. He added that ranking second would be “the question of human safety.” “People feel unsafe in this country. Children on streets are being hit down by motorcars; there is domestic violence, and banditry in the hinterland…Sometimes even going to a wedding reception or wake could end in death. People just feel unsafe. “I met some persons in the Diaspora who are afraid to come home because of this.” While Granger did not directly comment on any particular sector which showed at least, some modicum of improvement, he did note that as far as the good points go, Ramotar’s decision to exit office prematurely is perhaps something he would be applauded for. The APNU leader said that the Head of State has saved the nation having to wait five years to see his exit. “By this time next year we will have a happy Christmas because he (Ramotar) will be gone,” the Parliamentarian added. The 2014 half year report on the performance of the economy had also projected that Guyana will continue to see sustained growth. Asked to give his take on the economy in light of this report, Granger opined that  the current financial arrangements only allows for a selected few to get richer while the income gaps continue to widen. The Opposition Leader asserted, “My estimation is that when we look at economic growth we have to look carefully at who gets what and what we are seeing is jobless growth. We are seeing that the pie is getting bigger and the rich getting richer meanwhile the income gap continues to increase. There are extremely poor people in this country …we are concerned about that. “As far as I can see there is less happiness or a lower level at that for a large number of persons and as far as we are concerned the growth is not providing wealth for the mass of people in this country.” Granger said that the APNU has observed that some sectors are under performing, particularly the manufacturing sector. He said that what the nation continues to see are foreign companies which are extracting the country’s primary products, timber and minerals but the value added aspect remains an unfulfilled promise. General Secretary of APNU, Joseph Harmon, supported Granger’s comments. Ramotar and his Cabinet have facilitated an environment which allows for industrial scale corruption. He said, however, that the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, is not to be blamed entirely for his brazen financial improprieties. The politician argued that most of the blame falls squarely at the President’s feet. Harmon said that the President is directly responsible in this regard for Dr. Singh continuing to go unpunished for his financial lawlessness.