Successful development plans to continue

Run-up to Elections 2015:

…but Govt warns of Opposition “fear mongering” and “agitation”
The Donald Ramotar Administration says over the next four months Guyanese will continue to benefit from its

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall

ongoing socio-economic developmental programmes and initiatives, which are aimed at positively transforming their lives. This was as the rebuffed Opposition warned unconvincingly that there would be a massive misuse of state resources and funds in the lead-up to the May 11, 2015 Regional and General Elections.
The incumbent administration has also noted, with grave concern, the development of a culture which has seen the Opposition political parties demonstrating higher levels of “agitation” and “intolerance” for those sections of society, which publicly have supported the decisions taken by the Government.
Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall on Tuesday welcomed the announcement of an early elections date by the President, but said already within the camps of the political Opposition parties, some were creating mischief by seeking to deliberately mislead Guyanese about the possible state of affairs in the country over the next few months.
He said that despite the President’s announcement, the Cabinet will remain in place and Government will continue to function according to the Articles outlined and stipulated in the Constitution of the country.
“Government continues in office until it is voted out of office. It will continue to perform all of the normal services…..”, he reminded as he referred to the principle of continuity in the Constitution which stipulates the status quo even in an elections year.
He said over the next four months, the Government would have the facility of accessing one-twelfth of the 2014 budget monthly until a new Appropriation Bill is passed in Parliament. He promised that there would be no misappropriation of funds or state resources under the watch of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Campaign financing
He strongly dispelled any notion that monies from the state’s coffers would flow into any coffer of the PPP/C to prepare it for elections.
“The fears and apprehensions that are being expressed are completely without foundation. They are baseless and whimsical,” he said during the interview.
He boasted that since the PPP/C came to power in 1992, there has been no financial “misbehaviour”, reminding that the opposition has so far failed to provide any tangible evidence of this especially during the last elections.
“I will never be able to allay the concocted and fabricated fears and figments which exist within the minds of the Opposition leaders and if you are asking me to do that, you are asking me to do an impossibility. If they find any evidence (during this election) they should bring it to the nation’s attention,” he said passionately.
Nandlall believes that Guyanese can expect the Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to take this line over the next few months to gain political mileage and paint the Government in an unfavourable light.

Intolerance
“These are the very persons whom … are unprepared to support legislation to regulate campaign financing. And they may be guilty of financial manoeuvrings which cannot withstand the test of scrutiny and proper analysis. And that is why they are expressing aversion to campaign financing,” he declared.
The Attorney General reasoned that the Opposition’s intent was to set the platform for an atmosphere of tension, confusion, and chaos which could translate into violence if people get the impression that the Government was misusing funds for political purposes and was undermining democracy.
He made it clear that the Government has also noted the recent posture of leaders within the AFC and APNU which could be summed up as “intolerant” of dissenting views which support the ideology or work of the PPP/C Government.
Nandlall wasted no time in condemning APNU’s recent criticisms and attacks on the Private Sector, Caricom, civil society organisations, and others who have spoken out against the Opposition’s politics of mayhem and destruction.
“In recent times, there has been a high degree of intolerance by the Opposition leaders in their public statements and sentiments. There has developed, in recent times, over the last few months, a belief, a feeling, an atmosphere, an attitude, and a proclivity that seem to suggest that only one set of people can express their views and the Government is not amongst those few,” he explained.
The Legal Affairs Minister outlined the level of bitterness and vengeance with which the Opposition attacked any views not supportive of its own, saying this was a dangerous trend that lead to the rejection of elections results, violence, and chaos.
“I believe that thirst for power, the hunger for power and the little taste of power that they enjoyed in the Parliament has an intoxicating effect and that is why you are seeing these …. responses”.
“We have a peculiar and political history where some of the very people who are vying for the next Government are the very people who denied the people of this country free and fear elections, instilled fear in them, killed people at elections time in their efforts to steal the people’s vote,” Nandlall declared.

extracted from the Guyana Times