APNU+AFC Alliance showing signs of fracture — Dr Singh … says Alliance is about power, not about progress
DECLARING that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is about progress for all Guyanese, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh has said he is proud to be associated with the ruling party and its work to transform Guyana. Contending that under the stewardship of the PPP/C the future of Guyana will be secured, Dr Singh on Thursday called on a De Abreu Street, Kitty, Georgetown gathering to not put trust in the Opposition.
The gathering at De Abreu Street, Kitty, Georgetown rally
The PPP/C, he said, is about sound leadership and diversity, and the latter is reflected in its List of Candidates, heading into the May 11 Regional and General Elections.
The party attracted a number of new candidates, many of whom chose to join the party because of its track record and its vision for Guyana.
The same cannot be said of the A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Alliance’s List of Candidates, Dr Singh said.
The Alliance list, he pointed out, is made up of many old whining People’s National Congress (PNC) members. And of course, a few disgruntled ones who were once part of the PPP/C, but have now become bedfellows with their oppressors.
Theirs is no match to the PPP/C’s, he said, noting that the ruling party is not only about unity and diversity; it is dynamic and growing; it is a true representative of the people; and quite naturally, its List of Candidates represents the face of Guyana.
The PPP/C, he said, is proud of its work in transforming Guyana, its track record in Government and equally important, its name, as it has nothing to hide.
But not the PNC-controlled APNU, he said, pointing out that the party has been repeatedly changing its name to conceal its identity.
It was PNC, then PNCR, the PNCR-G, then APNU and is now APNU+AFC, and of late, recent happenings seem to indicate that the Alliance’s relationship is on a rocky ledge.
This, he said, is reflected in the recent decision by APNU to mount only APNU party flags in Georgetown communities.
According to him, it happened after APNU+AFC Deputy Leader Moses Nagamootoo failed dismally to attract a sizeable number of supporters at their rallies at Whim, Berbice and Anna Regina in Essequibo.
It was reported that Nagamootoo was summoned by Granger to explain his woeful support at the two major meetings where he could have hardly attracted 12 supporters, but is demanding 12 seats in Parliament.
Prominent Attorney-at-Law Euclin Gomes on the go
These are not people who should be trusted, Dr Singh said, contending that they cannot even unite among themselves and can hardly decide on their name.
On this note, he said, there cannot be any clearer indication that the Alliance does not know what they stand for.
Expounding on this point, the Minister pointed to the APNU+AFC Valentine’s Day union, telling his audience that the marriage was about different positions and power, not about improving the lives of all Guyanese and continuing the development of Guyana.
Their priority, he said, is not about development and progress, it is about power, oppression and destruction.
It is reflected in their tenure in Government, he said, noting that basic food items were banned, and abuse was rampant.
Dr Singh said even when in Opposition, they had not changed, pointing out that they blocked the Amaila Falls Project and deprived Guyanese of cheap energy; voted down the construction of the specialty hospital, an institution that will provide care for the sick; and they chose not to support the Anti-Money Laundering Bill, whose non-passage will severely affect the image of Guyana.
These are not people who care about Guyana and the people of this country, he said, urging the electorate that when they vote on May 11, they must vote to stop this tyranny by the Opposition.
Prominent Attorney-at-Law Euclin Gomes, a new member on the PPP/C platform, said the PNC, which controls APNU, does not like to hear about history as they are trying desperately to hide their identity.
He said complacency among party supporters caused the PPP/C to lose the majority at the 2011 election, but they should not all let this happen in 2015.
Arrogance
They used their majority in the 10th Parliament, he said, to derail Government’s development agenda, and did so without reason. It was a show of power and that might is right, Gomes said.
The Attorney said a vote for the PPP/C in 2015 will not just be a vote to indicate support for the party, but it will be a vote to stop the Opposition’s nonsense in Parliament.
It will stop the APNU and the AFC from continuing their anti-developmental agenda, and protect the gains made by Guyana in the past 22 years.
The APNU+AFC Alliance had criticised the PPP/C List of Candidates, saying that it is made up of family and friends.
Young Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) member Lisa Takurdeen on the platform
But Gomes rebutted, saying that it is the democratic right of the Alliance to express their views no matter the soundness of it, contending that the PPP/C will not stop any young member who is willing to serve the party and the country.
The Alliance, he said, should look at itself, pointing out that not even their family members are willing to be on their List of Candidates.
Their Valentine’s Day cook-up from their love affair, he said, will get sour, and the PPP/C, with the generous support of the people, will be allowed to continue the development of Guyana.
Lisa Takurdeen, a resident on the Essequibo Coast and a University of Guyana Economics major, was also a new member mounting the platform of the ruling party.
Takurdeen, who performed exceptionally well at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), said under the PPP/C Administration, Guyana has been significantly transformed.
Importantly, she said, significant emphasis is being placed on education and youth development, noting that today the education sector is churning out more professionals than any time before in the history of Guyana.
Education, she said, opens the door for a brighter future, and the Government has recognised this, and has been pouring attention and investment in the education sector.
Branding herself a proud product of the education system designed by the PPP/C, Government, Takurdeen said the ruling party is the only party with a clear vision for Guyana.
The young woman urged the electorate to vote solidly for the PPP/C on May 11, so that development and progress can continue.
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