Granger touts education as driver of economic transformation

A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Presidential Candidate, David Granger on Tuesday promised to transform Guyana’s economical landscape through education, if he is elected into office following the May 11 General and Regional Elections.

At the time, he was addressing members of the business community during the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) Business Luncheon at the Pegasus Hotel.

APNU+AFC Presidential Candidate David Granger addressing business men and women at the GMSA Business Luncheon at the Pegasus Hotel

In an effort to overcome the scourge of poverty, Granger said major emphasis will be placed on repairing the “broken education system,” noting that an APNU+AFC Government would invest heavily in the development of five-star universities starting with the ailing University of Guyana, and not five star hotels.

“Under the APNU+AFC, every single region, will have a regional technical institute and a regional agricultural institute,” he added, stating too that the young generation will be guided along paths that will allow them to be experts in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). “It is time to move our indigenous citizens and residents of the hinterland and our population as a whole out of poverty and ignorance, by building more and more educational institutes, not drop-in centres.”

The PPP/C Government over the years has plugged billions into the education system, virtually subsidising university education and also implemented a range of programmes catering for students at all levels. For last year government committed $32.3 billion into the sector to carry out infrastructural and other improvements.

The allocation was $3.8 billion more than what was expended in 2013 ($28.5 billion), and Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh had told Members of Parliament during the budget presentation that the funds are to be used to implement the first year of a “new Education Strategic Plan.” As part of the plan $2.9 billion was used “towards the construction, rehabilitation, extension and maintenance of education facilities including a new and expanded Zeeburg Secondary School and the Kato Secondary complex.”

The previous year $2.7 billion was spent on infrastructural works, including the commencement of “the reconstruction of the One Mile Primary School, La Venture Secondary School and Parfaite Harmonie Primary.”

Granger told the gathering that every month 500 children are dropping out of school. But this he said is just a tip of the iceberg, explaining that within days, 16, 000 children will be writing the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) Examination of which 8000 will fail everything. Most of the failures he said will be from the hinterland. “We can’t build a world class economy under the rubble of a broken education system,” he further emphasised.

Political Stability Turning his attention to the political scene Granger claimed that Guyana is starving for political stability. According to him, the “winner takes all” system, which has been long established, is stymieing development within the country. But this trend, he emphasised must be broken or it will lead to the creation of more minority Governments.

“The APNU+AFC pre-election coalition will create for the first time in Guyana a Government of National Unity, we will reduce clashes in Parliament and we will guarantee political stability,” Granger told the members of the Private Sector.

A section of the attendees during the business luncheon

Though not comprehensively laid out, the APNU+AFC Presidential Candidate in reeling out his plans for the nation, said his Government will ensure that Local Government Elections are held, noting that it will simultaneously pave the way for the establishment of a strong institutional framework, an independent judiciary, an independent Guyana Elections Commission, a free Auditor General Office and a fully equipped Ombudsman Office.

“Most of all, we will make the National Assembly free from executive control, we will make the National Assembly one where its bills which are passed in the House, are assented to. We will ensure that there is a tripartite budget committee and we will not have a Legislative Branch dominated by an Executive Branch.” In an invited comment, Minister of government Irfaan Ali asked, “How can there be a ‘unity government” if the government is made up of only APNU and AFC? Similarly the Constitution lays down an Executive Structure that performs the Executive functions. For a majority “Executive” not to control the Assembly Mr Granger will either have to violate the Constitution or change it with a two thirds majority. Which is it?”

In the area of crime and security, Granger a former Commander of the Guyana Defence Force pointed out that the APNU+AFC coalition if elected into office will take the requisite steps needed to suppress crime in the country. He said a safer Guyana cannot be achieved, if the Guyana Police Force is not reformed.

According to him, the time has come for the Force to undergo serious transformation, pointing out that over the past 15 years; it has received more than 15 plans and recommendations from the British Government and other Governments but to no avail. Government has adopted a number of these plans referred to by Granger and has begun implementing them. One of the most comprehensive plans the Disciplined Services Commission report has been implemented in parts and only on Monday Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee pointed out in a statement that all previous strategic plans developed during Government’s engagement with local and overseas consultants have been subsumed in the current strategic plan.

He said the Home Affairs Ministry is awaiting resources to further engage the UK-based Capita Symonds Consultancy to implement four additional areas which are critical to building the institutional capacity of the Guyana Police Force.

“It should be noted that the move by the Opposition to challenge in Court the disbursement of resources from the IDB Security Sector Loan will again stymie the implementation of plans for the achievement of our primary objective of providing comprehensive citizen security sector for all Guyanese,” Rohee said.

Thirdly, Rohee said that recommendations of the Disciplined Services Commission are being implemented. “Recent presentations by the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Fire Service, and the Guyana Prison Service gave status updates on the progress each agency is making towards the full realisation of those recommendations. The progress report was circulated to members of the National Assembly in June, 2014.

Armed robberies Meanwhile, Granger, said in Guyana, three armed robberies occur daily, every eight hours. This he said is complemented by piracy, drug trafficking, trafficking of guns and ammunition, and murders among others. In an effort to combat the situation, the security specialist said the Force must be effectively equipped.

“They need boats, they need all terrain vehicles, and they need aircraft. They need sufficiently trained personnel, but along with the personnel they must be properly paid.” According to him, “we cannot keep the entire Police Force on life support and expect to keep Guyana safe.”

Amidst Granger’s criticisms Government early this year handed over five new vessels to the Police Marine Branch to police the country’s waterways in order to protect fishermen and other persons who work offshore. The five vessels were procured as part of the Force’s anti-piracy strategy, an area which is of grave concerns to authorities, which earlier this week pointed out that piracy had recently decreased with its new deployment of equipment. Granger also touched on corruption, unemployment, underemployment, high taxation, money laundering and the effective use Guyana’s renewable energy resources.