May 11 election should be about your country and children’s future - President Ramotar tells Linden crowd
Written by Gina Webmasters, Published in News, Georgetown, GINA, April 12, 2015, Source
With 29 days left before Guyana’s next regional and national elections, Lindeners who turned out in their numbers to hear from the incumbent President Donald Ramotar were reminded of how important this election is for Guyana’s development.
A section of the gathering at the PPPC rally at Wismar, Linden
“We are here tonight because on May 11 we have to ensure that the course that Guyana is on that we will continue on that course.”
A large crowd gathered at the Lien Ken-Pen square, Wismar, Linden to listen to the lineup of candidates from the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP-C).
In his message to the gathering, the President said that this election should be about the future of Guyana and the youths coming up.
The President noted too that elections are about records, and about the future and that, his party has a proud record and one which it can proudly stand on and never hide from.
The President pointed out that when they took over the administration, they were faced with a bankrupt country and even current members of the opposition spoke of this.
“...In a signed affidavit that we have, he (Carl Greenidge) said that in 1992 that our debt was 925%,... nine-and-a-half times bigger that our economy, this is the man who was responsible for that and this is the man who they want to impose on you .”
In the same document, it is stated that Guyana’s foreign debt was 951% of the international revenue and it would have taken 153% of revenue to service that debt, which meant Guyana was forced to borrow money to pay the debt.
“The situation today is that our debt is less than 60% of our economy we brought it down from 950% to 60% of our economy and we brought down the debt payment from 153% of our revenue to 4% of our revenue today.”
The President said that while there is much talk about bad governance, he said never before in Guyana’s history has it seen such prudent management of the economy.
Noting that Guyana has been transformed tremendously having seen over the last nine years, positive economic growth, there was an opposition that did everything to damage the country’s growth and development.
“…With an opposition that set about to damage our country that set about to ensure that very plan that we make in order to lift the quality of life for our people, they planned to sabotage them and they did that deliberately in many instances, not by accidents."
Speaking of some of the deliberate acts to sabotage the welfare of Guyana and its people, the President referred to their non-support to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill.
Such legislation is an international requirement and its non-passage would have serious repercussion, and it has in some ways already affected Guyana’s economy.
The opposition’s non-support to the Amaila Falls Hydro project, which has numerous benefits and is needed to see a modernised Guyana was also highlighted.
Their cuts to the national budget in the National Assembly over the past three years for several developmental projects were also cited as deliberate acts to stymie Guyana’s development.
According to President Ramotar, some of the opposition’s actions have cost Guyana millions of dollars as some critical pieces of legislation were not given the needed support.
“Clearly this is not accidental. These people have set out deliberately to obstruct development in Guyana. You have heard too of how they wanted to cut the budget for us to provide the electric light, the solar panels for our people in the interior.”
Nonetheless, even amidst the challenges, having to operate under the new political dispensation, the President said they have been bringing new initiatives on stream much to the benefit of all citizens.
Some of these include the $10,000 education cash grant, free textbooks and hot meals for students among other services being offered in the social sector.
President Ramotar added that the opposition is sabotaging even some of his administration's social policies, which are aimed at bettering the quality of life for Guyanese.
“All these things we have done in the face of fierce opposition. The same PNC now who are talking about education they went in the last budget and cut the fund that we have to lend students money to attend the University of Guyana, how can they talk about youths when they have no meaning to those things, they don’t want our young people to strive.”
Head of State Donald Ramotar addressing the gathering at Wismar, Linden
While speaking of the strides Guyana has made, President Ramotar noted that much more could have been accomplished if the opposition was supportive.
Going forward, the President said among the administration's plans if re-elected will be to keep Guyana along its growth path with new initiatives, more job creation and policies all aimed at providing a better quality of life for all.
Very soon, the President said Guyana will join the other oil producing countries in the world thus providing more technical and high paying jobs, and with a new deep water harbour for the Berbice River and a paved highway from Georgetown into Brazil, the possibilities for investment would be endless.
“The future of our country lies in your hands," he stated. He said it was reported that a PNC official called on their supporters to put their children out of their houses if they did not vote for the APNU/AFC coalition.
Such statements the president said are directed at intimidating people, but he called on persons to exercise their right on elections day and make the right choice.
President Ramotar, in closing urged, “We have stood by you at every stage, and today I ask you not only for your own sake, not only for our sake, but for your children's sake, and for the sake of the future of the country, I ask you on May 11 to stand by the PPPC and to stand by me to take this country forward.”
Meanwhile others on the PPP/C list of candidates, including former President Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Ministerial Candidate, Mrs. Elisabeth Harper, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon and Works Minister Robeson Benn took time to address the gathering, all reiterating the plans the party has to take Guyana forward.