In light of looming snap elections
…APNU holds firm to principles in manifesto
August 16, 2014, By KNews, Filed Under News, Source - Kaieteur News
With a no confidence motion to be debated at the next parliamentary meeting and a snap national elections looming, can the old APNU manifesto hold up to scrutiny?
Carl Greenidge
When asked to comment on the standing relevance of their manifesto, Carl Greenidge, the coalition’s Shadow Minster of Finance said that the party still holds firm to its agenda.
He outlined that the Guyanese people are entitled to certain rights that the current Administration is not justly fulfilling. The Parliamentarian asserted that within the first 100 days of an APNU government, the party would implement Constitutional Reform to end the abuse of power and executive lawlessness.
The politician said that their manifesto goes into detail to describe the facets of society that APNU would set out to improve. He said that their 11-step plan would focus on ensuring the right; to a livable retirement plan, to youth development, to enjoy independent public services, to appropriately represent the rights of workers, to community development and to sustainable natural resource development, among other things.
In relation to youth development, Greenidge remarked that without properly reviewing youth programmes and ensuring a representative National Youth Parliament, the country can slip into a “great disaster”, “one that we have already seen the likes of, from a former youth president.”
He said too that APNU would ensure youth transition from the classroom to the workplace without difficulty, rewarding innovative thinking and creating resource centres that assist youths in their personal development.
Under Social Empowerment in the APNU manifesto, it states that through initiatives that tackle social concerns at the core, it can restore equitable development within all facets of Guyanese society.
Greenidge reiterated that the coalition’s manifesto and the principles engrained in it, remains relevant and can certainly hold up to the scrutiny.
The recent release of the Caribbean Secondary Certificate Examination (CSCE) results show that in recent years, the pass rate in the country has been marginally increasing. The pass rate for students receiving Grades One to Three increased from 59.31 percent in 2013 to 60.21 percent this year. Some critics say that the increase in performance is not enough evidence of a general improvement of education. Rather it supports the claim that educational success is becoming an elitist pandemic. Furthermore, this marginal increase in education distracts from the disparity between successful students and school dropouts.
Within the APNU manifesto it sights that there are 7,200 school dropouts in Guyana.
The manifesto further goes on to address the state of the Arts in Guyana. It proposes that the creative industry has declined and that it have not been treated as a national good. The manifesto disclosed plans for the “Development of Creative Industries”.
When looking at the sector of creative industries, it is apparent that Guyana is lacking in the area of Intellectual Property laws. More recently, local award winning writer Ruel Johnson started the Janus Cultural Policy Initiative (JCPI). The purpose of this initiative is to effectively codify and implement policies that specifically protect Guyana’s cultural integrity and innovations.
This movement indicates that the current policies are not working to the public’s liking. APNU’s manifesto cites creative industries to include film and television production, broadcasting, electronic gaming, architecture, design, media and advertising.
Also falling under Human Development would be sports, in which the manifesto proposes to improve opportunities to various marginalized groups like women, Amerindian youths, the elderly and those with disabilities. While Guyana’s passion for sport is hard to ignore, Guyana’s presence outside the region is strong yet small.
Source -- http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....ming-snap-elections/
---50.1% - 59.9%
