Elections are about performance, not promises – President tells Mahdia residents

Written by Gina Webmasters, Published in News, Georgetown, GINA, May 8, 2015, Source

“When they came to office in 1964, British Guiana had the highest standard of living in the Caribbean,” he noted, but when they left in 1992, Guyana and Haiti were the poorest countries in the Caribbean…Under the PNC regime we had reached a stage in this country where we were borrowing to pay debts. We were digging a hole to fill a hole,” he said.

He noted that Guyana’s debt is now 60 percent of the economy and it only requires four percent of revenue to service it. “That is what you call effective economic management of our country. Guyana is the only country in the Caribbean where you had nine consecutive years of economic growth.

We are now regarded as the fastest growing economy in the Caribbean… In another few days, we will have to make a decision that will determine the direction in which our country will go, whether we will continue to go forward or backward… (David) Granger by training is a historian, but he’s the only historian in the whole world who doesn’t want to remember history.”

President Donald Ramotar addressing residents at a community meeting at Mahdia

Nevertheless, the President said Guyanese won’t easily forget the hardships under the PNC regime, including the closure of the Ministry of Housing, and the banning of essential food items, which made criminals out of people because of their choice of staple in their diet.

“In housing, the PNC destroyed the ministry. We have distributed lower income homes to more than 1000 persons since we are in office,” he said, and added that solar panels are provided for many of the persons who have no access to electricity. Many Region Eight residents are beneficiaries of the solar home systems.

The President recalled the days when politicians needed permission to campaign in the interior “because they did not want others to speak to the Amerindians and tell them the truth.”

He also noted that they were intolerant of dissent, yet, they have no proud record to show for their years in office, as most projects they started failed.

A section of the gathering at the community meeting at Mahdia

“That is why they don’t want to talk about their 28 years in government because they have nothing to talk (about) and nothing to show for those years in Government,” he said. He cautioned supporters that if the Opposition wins at the upcoming polls, they will take Guyana back to those days. This is evident from the policies being proposed in their manifesto. The President said that the Coalition’s manifesto copies “heavily from Government documents. They have 10 points on sugar, nine of it they stole from Guysuco’s strategic plan.”

The President noted that the Coalition is concerned about political power and not about improving the lives of Guyanese. The President noted that if he was concerned with power he would not have called elections and contested for presidency again. Rather he could have kept on proroguing the Parliament, “but I, and we in the PPP/C do not believe that would have been in the best interest of Guyanese and Guyana.”

Another section of the gathering at Mahdia

Debunking claims by the Opposition that he enjoys a large amount of power as President and they would seek to reduce those powers, the President said this is not so because he doesn’t have more power than other Presidents, rather it may be less in many instances. For instance, in the United States, that president could pass laws by decree, but in Guyana, if the laws are not passed in parliament, then the President cannot pass laws by decree.

He noted that the Coalition is now dodging the past and making a u-turn on several projects that they once shut down in the National Assembly, including the Amaila Falls hydro power, the Cheddi Jagan Airport expansion and money to sustain sugar. They are also now appealing to the very people they affected with those budget cuts and even resorting to racist propaganda, but while they only come around during elections, the PPP/C is like the “kiskadee” around in all seasons, good and bad.

“We want to build on our record because we have invested heavily in our people,” he said, adding that this is the only government in the Caribbean that spends 30 percent of its budget on the social sector.  This has resulted in numerous improvements in education, health, housing and welfare.

He noted this is important to ensure people’s personal development and reminded parents of the need to ensure children complete school to at least secondary level, as education is the way out of poverty. That is why government has built and or renovated more 1000 schools; provided free text and exercise books, school uniform, meals, accommodation, transportation, and starting last year, $10,000 cash grant to defray transportation expenses.

“That is how we spend our money, on our people because we believe that if we want to come out of poverty, and if we want to advance our country we have to have an educated population.”

Guyana’s poverty rate stood at about 80 percent and now it’s less than 20 percent. In the last 10 years it was Guyanese students who topped the Caribbean at CSEC and hundreds of Guyanese students have become qualified through scholarships and student loans under this administration, loans that the opposition sought to cut in the last budget.

He reminded that when the PPPC came into office many people were dying from malaria, and the government did not even have figures on how many people were dying of the disease. This situation changed when the government spent huge sums to provide residents with chemically treated bed nets and today, malaria has nearly been knocked out from the country.

He noted that victory at the upcoming elections would allow the PPP/C to continue the development and a majority in parliament will allow them to implement progressive plans and policies to raise the standard of living in Guyana. One such project would be the Amaila Falls Hydro electric project.

Another plan is to be able to refine gold extracted from Guyana right here instead of sending it to Canada to be refined.

“These areas will be further transformed,” he said referring to Mahdia.   

         He noted that government’s emphasis on expanding the road network is geared at opening new markets for interior farmers, by not only creating access to the coast, but reducing costs of transportation, as in many areas the sole mode of transportation is via air. The new airport will also open more global markets for local farmers, as it would result in reduced freight cost and hence, make it more viable and profitable.

He sought the residents’ support for a return to Government, to protect the gains made so far and to build a modern Guyana, noting that, “Over the last three years they have tried to cut about $90 billion from the budget… the major obstacle to development is an opposition bent on destruction of this country. Granger on two occasions voted against the AML bill but now we are coming to elections, he said that he will support it,” he said. The same was done for monies for sugar and the hydro project.

Government is working to help the village economies to grow and develop and correct the neglect of the Amerindians by the previous administration. Hence, presidential grants and the Amerindian Development Fund provide financing for essential equipment and tools to have small economic ventures in the communities, but they cut it from the budget, he said.

Money allocated for the maintenance and upgrade of several airstrips to hinterland communities was also axed by the opposition.

The President also warned against the dangers of the past Coalition in the 1960s repeating itself. “They are trying to repeat the same thing here and we must guard against it…We have fought to give the Guyanese people the right to vote, we have expanded freedom and democracy… we can do more, but to do that we have to win these elections on May 11.”

The President said the election is not about gimmicks and promises that the Coalition is now making, but about the record it has to show. “It’s not about promises, it’s about performance.” He urged voters not to be intimidated or bullied by others, but to solidly support the PPP/C.

Meanwhile, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn said that Guyana is on the verge of deciding whether the tremendous progress over the years will continue especially in the social sector, including education, and health.

Recalling his earlier days in Mahdia as an engineer, he noted there were a few shacks in the community and insufficient food.

“I can proudly say and comeback and point to the improvements here in Mahdia, the secondary school and the hospital managed by Guyanese doctors, that these things are improvement under the PPP/C Government.”

He also noted that when mining was opening up, the community was struggling and the PPP/C stayed with the people and developed the community.

Confident that the PPP/C will return to Government, Ben told residents many benefits are in store for them, including jobs with upcoming gold mining projects, by Troy Resources and another along the Cuyuni River that will open up jobs shortly and residents could capitalise. He rubbished the opposition’s claims that increased signs of wealth among people in the country is associated with illegal drugs, adding that government has opened opportunities for development and people have capitalised.

Benn noted that back then Guyana was in survival mode, and therefore there was no discussion on development issues, even those as critical as better health care.

He noted that Government hopes to see an expansion in agriculture, increased security in the mining camps; mining done in a sustainable manner and that there is no exploitation of the environment or workers.

Meanwhile Bonaventure Fredericks said,  “we’ve come a long way under this present administration…we are far better off today… I can testify of the trails in the north and today they have a vast network of roadways in the north and this is one of the improvements in this region … and every village we went to we have new schools and new health centres and this is what you can look at and judge for yourself,” he said.

The area now has access to telecommunication, when in the past they had to rely on radio messages, and it was under this government that the roadway to Georgetown from Mahdia was opened as well, making travel accessible and affordable for many.

Reassuring the President of their support, several residents noted that the PPP/C is fighting the championship round at present and will find the favourable fruits next week when the results are declared. One woman recalled coming to the region as a young teacher in the 1980s and the area was not heavily populated and there were few retail shops. Today the community is transformed, with thriving businesses retailing clothing, groceries, beverages and other items.

A youth, Xenia Baird said that young people of Region Eight are thankful for the progress, including facilities for youths and said she is impressed that most of the candidates for the party from that region are below the age of 45.

Gillian Williams, a deputy toshao noted that she has witnessed many achievements under this administration and recalled that in her school days she had to leave the area to be able to attend secondary school and now children have that opportunity right in the Region. She also noted that an $800 million secondary school will soon be commissioned at Kato.

She said that government has been aiding the village economy by giving them the opportunity to do projects for the community rather than private contractors. The communities have also benefitted from the Presidential grants for their development and several road development initiatives.

Residents also noted that under this administration women’s rights have been placed on the front burner and women are no longer confined to the homes, but are actively participating in political, social, and economic life.