All three party have manifesta and we should look them up. Let me ask me mamoo for them. 

Whjat we KNOW is that the PPP has transformed GUyana from a broken, desolate and destroyed Country to a vibrant and changing Country.  Thwere has been mistakes and the current Administration seems willing to correct the mistakes and move the Country forward. THe Non Cooperation of the Opposition is not helping the progress BUT the opposition has been somewhat effective in helping to stem the waste and favoritism that the former Administration displayed.

PPP take country for family and friend. 

JB is correct. The AFC Action Plan, 2nd Edition, lays out the party's economic program. Get it here: http://afcguyana.com/afcnew/?p=3284

After you all read it, we can talk.

No it hasnt.  Guyana is still down there with broke pocket countries like El Salvador and Paraguay.

\Our Human Development Index ranks us above only Haiti, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras.

We are still the poorest and most backward country in the English speaking Caribbean, so where is this transformation?

Let gold prices drop and the PPP be unable to find markets for its rice and see what happens to your "transformed" economy.

Gold is Gold, gold dont spoil or get old.  RICE will be KING!!!

Gold prices are beyond our control and the PPP can't even pay the rice farmers.

I did not know the PPP employed the Rice Farmers.

Kari to answer you.  NONE of the political parties have advanced ideas for improved bottom up governance.  In addition none of advanced the transformational ideas that you are looking for to move the country to more value added. 

Despite the excellent performances of our best students (who most likely will become part of the brain drain) Guyana continuwes to hav the lowest CXC passes in English and Math.  I haven't heard anyone discuss this.  Employers have long complained about the low levels of literacy and numeracy of high school graduates in Guyana.  90% of the nurses failed their exams because of their poor educational background.

Unless they deal with education it is tough to see how they can move Guyana forward. What is evident is that the days of labor intensive agriculture is pretty much over as most people seem to prefer starving while sitting on a bridge than to endure hot sun for low pay.

The rice farmers blame the PPP for not getting paid though, and will remember this when elections come.  If the AFC does to the PPP in regions 2 and 3 what they did in regions 5 and 6 they are toast.  Region 3 has the 3rd largest number of voters.

Gold come down again. 

 This area the AFC need to do a lot ground work.

Ow you all please give Mr tarron some attention.  He posting today as JB.  Please.  Help him out nah!

The PPP has to be seen on its record as the hand that steers the ship. It has State power, and thus has more accountability than the opposition parties.

The two opposition parties must be seen for their role as opposition - loyal or otherwise. How much of what they "oppose" makes the PPP ineffectual?

Regarding growth, you have to look at one very important metric, and that is, what is the skill level of the labor force? Much of what Guyana produces has more of a product content than a knowledge content. Caribny's point about numeracy and literacy is a reflection of the mix of goods and services that represent Guyana's economic output. The question is "how happy should Guyanese be about this?", and how much they think the opposition can correct this if given the powers of the State like the PPP has had for 22 uninterrupted years now.

Given the same power like they had for 28 years, the Opposition will once AGAIN DESTROY Guyana.

That document needs updating - the Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates mentioned are history and the next election is either in Jan 2015 or a year and a half after that.

I will read the rest, but the first of the 28-point plan directly addresses the economy - a 4% reduction in VAT rates. It has to offer either an equivalent cut in spending or a source of public revenue to replace that. This is not replacing the philosophy of taxing assets or incomes rather than consumption.

It talks of closing loopholes in revenue collection, but there is no specificity.

It speaks of corporate tax reductions - for both manufacturing and commerce.

It wants to raise the taxable amount - what would contribute to the US AGI - thus reducing the burden on lower income earners.  Maybe later in its plan it will address either spending cuts or make-up revenues. I'll read the rest later.

Thanks for the link.

This reminds me of the disclaimer in ads for securities trading companies - past performance in not necessarily a good indicator of future outcomes.

Addressing the opposition is one half of the dialog. The other half is how happy is one with the current performance of the government of the day. So if one were to grade the opposition futures (to continue the financial metaphor) on speculation, then can do an excellent job of the current "known" - one of Donald Rumsfeld's euphemisms.

In a few months we will find out who the Guyanese People trust to do their Business.  I gat my money on the PPP.

That's not dialog Nehru - that's faith. If that is your approach to a discussion there is no need to even address this thread as your preference is known. Why waste your time?!

That is NOT Faith, just the FACTS Baby. The PPP has proven to be a BETTER choice for Guyana. I am not going to detail the pluses nor will I take up the time of GNIers to list the accomplishments, the many completed Projects and Projects in the works.  That is too obvious.  THe new Sheriff has demonstrated that Guyana will be going forward with Progress and Prosperity. Since 1992 EVERY aspect of the Economy has improved compare to the period befor that. Lives has been changed for the BETTER, challenges and concerns are still there but I will TRUST the PPP to tackle them.  The People of Guyana are not stupid, they can see with their own eyes and think for themselves and what they are seeing is pleasing to their eyes.

Pavi, I conclude that you believe that Guyana's literacy and numeracy rates are better now than in the past. I take it also that you believe that Guyana's manufacturing and service industries have grown over the years and that real incomes as well as disposable incomes have risen for the majority of Guyanese.

I see that you also believe that sugar production has improved to where it should be and that bauxite has been stellar. You also believe that Guyana is manufacturing products based on these and other primary resources (like rice). In New York's grocery stores you "see" not Thai canned cane juice but Demerara's; not Malaysian Rice cake but Guyana's; not Trinidad plantain chips but Guyana's..............and so on and so on..... That's why the new Sheriff has DEMONSTRATED that he can take Guyana further.

I see you also believe in jumbie stories - like when Brer Anansie tell Stchupidee Bill that Nehru is the brightest bulb on GNI.....

YOu just wrote a big bowl of CRAP!!!  I dont have time to waste but just to prove my point Rice Production last year was 500000 tonnes, put dat in yuh pipe and SMOKE IT!!!

when you drunk you seeing things,what vibrant country,it guyana we talking about right.your loyalty makes you stupid,i feel sorry  for you 

AFC have a good plan for truth. Their leaders dont say anyting about them. They only interesting in cussing down and telling people what they want hear. 

The AFC Action Plan is being revised and updated and will be made public when a date for elections is announced. For the moment, I suggest the 2nd Edition because it was the AFC program for the 2011 elections and is valid until next elections.

Any indication in that document as to how public revenues will fill rthe gap for the reduced VAT and lowering business taxes and raising the tax threshold? Or will there be a cut in spending?

I regret to inform you that I don't have access to the document that's still in revision stage.

I think it's fair to say that APNU has failed to distance itself from its previous image and from the modus operandi of the PPP. The PPP benefits from a populace that's unmoved by anything other than which party is like night and day different from it. This is the challenge of the AFC. It can scream, and has screamed, from the mountain top about a corrupt PPP and that solve the political corruption and you'll solve Guyana's economic, social and technological ailments; yet it has failed to move the needle of voters. If it wants to move from 10% or 12% to 25% or 35%, it's incumbent on it to show separation. It has to have a market differentiation.

What is that? That's why I ask of its economic and thus educational goals. It can change corruption; it can change state-dominated ownership to private ownership; it can do all those things, but it must show how it can open up opportunities for a transformation of how Guyanese can join the advanced workforce of say, Trinidad.

I think the man telling you, is not only to plant and reap it. It's better if u add value to it. Whether be it rice, sugar, bauxite of wood.

That is some anansie story.        

Pavi there is room for the likes of you on this Board. You see we need to have the humorists, the serious thinkers, the jackasses, the kunumunoo, the stchupidee bills. You see there is room for you.           

You taking up the JSACKASS AND THE KUNUMUNOO spots. Could you not have leave one for someone else. Keep writing CRAP!!!

Uncle Nehru on FIRE today.

Kari wants us to believe that the AFC was born out of the struggle to end corruption and a dire need for an efficient economy that would uplift the living standards of all Guyanese. This is very, very debatable.  This topic can stimulate a very good debate, however, facts and about our country over the 50 years would have to be provided so we can make a judgment whether his view of the AFC is accurate or is just a piece of political propaganda.

Some would say that the AFC was born out of the struggle for power within the ruling PPP. Power struggle is common in political parties especially parties with historic leaders sitting at helm of decades. The PPP falls into the category of party that had a leader that was certainly difficult act to follow. However, that is not the only reason for a power struggle. The party nor Dr. Jagan never prepared or groomed anyone in the party to replace the leader. This created a major problem and it reared its ugly head when they had to decide who was going to be party's presidential candidate at the last general elections. Politicians within the upper ranks of the party who had leadership ambition kept it down for a long while. They did not want to rock the boat nor create a situation where it would become advantageous to the enemy, the PNC. The tension was gradually building up and at some point it had to explode which it did. The AFC was born out of the fight for leadership within the ranks of the PPP and perhaps the PNC too.

I will continue later.  Hope Kari continues with this discussion.

I know all a dat-suh dat means the PPP should go on wid the corruption and poor goverance?

You are funny...you yell kick me in the nuts...the man kicked you in the nuts....it is like a football...now you complain....you cannot even kick me in the nuts hard enough....

You are the one not making sense. The economic measures are there...rice is failing ( because of the poncy scheme "rice for petrol)...sugar is dead....bauxite brings in no revenue and even fishing is making more for the state than mining and lumber which ruin the environment. BTW the PPP are giving fishing rights to the Chinese factory ships so there goes that source of income!

People remain comparatively poor, education has declined, drug is now the dominant trade goods and crime of all kinds is outpacing every nation in the west.

You are drinking happy juice so your reality of "development" and "better" is distorted.

If the existence or raison d'etre of the political parties in Guyana is framed in the context of power struggles, then it ignores a host of factors as to why they were formed.

The current PPP (part of PPP/C) and PNC (part of APNU) came out of the original PPP and the factor of power struggle indeed weighed heavily. The AFC leaders came out of both parties yes, but I have to believe that the common denominator that led to its emergence is to depart from the old ways of undemocratic organizations and everything else that follows like largesse and corruption.

The AFC's evolution by itself does not mean it gets votes by the bushel, as the two elections it participated in showed its inability to crack 15%. This is why it has to brand itself more than that. It has to have market differentiation from the PPP and PNC. The PNC eschewed a rebranding to appeal to non-Black voters and is still unable to get out of the 40s (percentage-wise). The PPP by default is given the mantle of government and thus accountability is less of a factor of its fortunes. It means that it can carte blanche steal and mismanage and guess what - it remains in office. In other words the PPP's best friends are both the PNC and the AFC.

I have to agree with you that the AFC emerged because of the undemocratic ways of the organizations (PPP and PNC). I would not accept that corruption in government was a factor even though it is  being exploited to further and justify their political agenda of the AFC. We must face the bitter reality of the PNC's past and its potential future threat to our society and how it forces us to overlook many things and band together behind the PPP to prevent its recurrence. This threat from the PNC is a hindrance to more democratic reforms within the PPP. It's like the suspension of rights in the US during war time. The interests and security shall be priority over other things. Anyone who thinks that the PNC is not a threat to democracy and freedom in Guyana is living in lalaland.  

We must move on.

I doan think the citizens ever got the government they rightly deserved.

This thing about the PNC is not on issues, it is definitely on race.

Overlooked, is what the PNC was holding onto-a country over ran with indoes who were going vote on race regardless of how the PNC ran the government. A case in point was Desmond Hoyte, he made tremendous changes and yet at the polls he was defeated. Today, it is Indo survival by cronyism. Was it wrong for the PNC to see it back then as their way of survival-rigged elections.

All of this could have been avoided -only if and only if the Jagans did not pursue communism. Then Foreign powers would not have interfered with our domestic issue. Our leaders unlike the Caribbean brother choose to battle American policies. They choose International politics over Guynaese politic.

Isn't both a disservice to the population - a divisive one.  

You are confuse - You need to figure out if Jagan is the PPP or Burnham  the dictator is the PNC. Everyone here would agree that the current PPP cabal is not what  Jagan had in mind for the people of Guyana but it is exactly what the dictator Burnham had in mind when he change the constitution. Believe it or not the best time the Guyanese ever experience was under PNC Desmond[Persaud]Hoyte - all the aloo you can eat, crime control with the house of Israel and Hamilton Green gang disbanded and jailed[PPP renstated them in minister positions], no shake down/bribe by cops and government offices for services and most of all "FREE AND FAIR GENERAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS" can you say the same for the PPP?