Manzoor Nadir steps down as TUF leader
– Says never been shackled by party paramountcy during tenure in gov’t
A woman now heads The United Force (TUF) following the resignation as leader of that party by Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir. However, Nadir still retains membership within that party and represents its interests in government and parliament.
The new team was unanimously elected during a conference held last Sunday at party headquarters in New Garden Street, Georgetown and includes presidential candidate, Ms Valerie Garrido-Lowe; prime ministerial candidate, Mr. Ismail Muhammad, who is also party chairman; senior executive members, Messrs Muacir Beretto, and Mohamed Nareem Gafoor; and new executive member, replacing recently-deceased Mr. Jerome Jarvis, Ms Geraldine Charles.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday at party headquarters to announce Minister Nadir’s resignation as party leader and the new exco changes, new party head, Ms Garrido-Lowe, said that the party has re-discovered very vibrant Amerindian support, its traditional constituent base, which has remained loyal to TUF, so it will be contesting the elections with a platform to improve the lives of the Amerindian communities, because successive administrations have neglected Guyana’s first peoples.
As a single mother, who has experienced all the travails of grassroots existence, Garrido-Lowe says that her education was acquired in the University of Life. A former teacher and current businesswoman, she is adamant that women’s rights are still largely neglected by male counterparts, who insist on relinquishing women into traditional roles, despite the undisputed strides that government has made to empower the vulnerable in society, especially women and children.
She expressed appreciation for what she terms an admirable decision by her male colleagues to choose a woman to lead TUF into the 2011 general elections and promised to unreservedly advance the interests of the Amerindian peoples and advocate at every level for their causes to be heard and addressed.
An official of the Amerindian Ministry debunked this contention of neglect and cited the many initiatives and developmental programmes that have been implemented to improve the lives and lifestyles of Guyana’s first peoples in successive PPP administrations; although she conceded that the demographics and great expanses of distances between communities sometimes provide logistical problems which, according to her, the government does not allow to deter development in Amerindian communities.
Quoting the guiding principles and aims of TUF, among which she listed a western-style democracy and a free-market economy, Garrido-Lowe expressed confidence of emerging with a better showing at the 2011 elections than in former years.
Muhammad said that he cannot comprehend all the new-wave terms – power-sharing, inclusive governance, et al; and contended that TUF has been the father of coalition in government, under both PNC and PPP administrations. He stressed that in every United Force Ministry, the performance excelled, and cited the Tourism and Labour ministries which, under Manzoor Nadir’s tenure have performed exceedingly well, with Nadir even influencing performance in other related ministries.  This, he said, is participating in a real government of national unity. According to Muhammad, TUF has made an indelible imprint on successive PNC and PPP administrations. Muhammad said that the TUF Minister has been an asset to the PPP/C administration.
The new team, while not committing to joining any party for the elections, did not rule out a coalition in the new government, whichever party it chooses to support, because, according to Garrido-Lowe, the party would still like to maintain an active presence in the administrative construct and would ensure that its parliamentary seats provide TUF with optimum influence in the new government.
Nadir, who made a late entry, spoke to media operatives after the press conference and expressed confidence in Garrido-Lowe and the new executive, saying that she is highly-motivated, very hard-working and committed, and will prove a capable leader capable of delivering on promises.
He dismissed being concerned about statements made by the new exco team, which lambasted government for neglecting Amerindian communities, because, according to him, he is aware of the many programmes that have been implemented by government in those communities, many of which he helped to drive.
However, he said that the party is a democratic one and that the team has to make its own findings, analyses, and approaches, which as a member, he will continue to support.
However, he emphasized that, in executing his various ministerial mandates, he has never been shackled and constrained in any way in the stewardship of his various portfolios. He expressed satisfaction in the way he has been allowed freedom to manage his ministerial responsibilities.
TUF prime ministerial candidate Muhammad said that the party is tough, ripe and ready for general elections.