RESOUNDING was the applause that greeted Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo as he rose to the podium to deliver his remarks at the launch of the Alliance For Change (AFC) local government elections campaign.

The campaign was launched at the party’s head office in Kitty, Georgetown, on Saturday and saw attendance from members across the country.

Nagamootoo urged the full house of hundreds of members to ensure that their campaign is guided by dignity and respect for all people and not to be pulled into unwanted situations.

He noted that it was President David Granger, who with his team on the campaign trail for the 2015 National Elections, had promised to hold Local Government Elections once elected to government and as such, must receive acknowledgement in this regard.

“This is a fight; there is a contest to show that we can make a difference in our communities and to improve conditions in the villages. When we begin to reap the resources from the oil-and-gas industry, more and more money will go back into the villages and to the NDCs; and it is there that we need responsible leadership, honest leadership to be able to handle the resources and to use it to build new markets, new cemeteries, new streets, to clean the drains, to get rid of the garbage, to look after the playgrounds, to fix the nursery schools, to fix the community centres.

“We will be able to transform Guyana from bottom up and the Alliance For Change must lead this revolution to make Guyana truly democratic. But we are in a contest, not a war; we are not here to shoot down our partner in the coalition government… because we are the AFC+APNU government,” Nagamootoo said.

He went on to say that the AFC+APNU is united at the level of central government and noted the saying, ‘unity without struggle is useless.’

According to the prime minister, the AFC is telling its partners in the coalition that it wants a place on every council in Guyana. The party has a place in the National Assembly and the Cabinet.

“We must be respectful and do not indulge in personality attacks however provoked; you must be… therefore, we want you to conduct this fight with discipline; to conduct this fight smartly; to go after the hearts of people; this is a battle for the mind to go out there as soldiers; to speak to ordinary folks in the villages to win their votes. Overall, it is also to get people to come out to vote,” he offered.

DISENCHANTED COMMUNITIES

Nagamootoo said that there is a lot of disenchantment and resignation at the level of communities. On that note, he urged members to tell the people that if they are not involved in local politics, they are giving up their own territory, the territory that they know best.

He noted that the AFC has put up candidates who have integrity, honesty, competence and energy. Most of whom are young people who are capable of providing effective leadership.

He also said that the efforts of the party to mobilise throughout Guyana have borne fruit.

“We are going to win and we are going to win handsomely in most of the constituencies that we are contesting; have confidence in yourself; have confidence in the Alliance For Change; have confidence in your leadership; most of all have confidence in your own ability to be an agent for change,” the prime minister said.

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, also congratulated each and every member of the party for taking the bold step to stand up and be counted, to commit to serving their communities and committing and recommitting to the values of the AFC.

“We have selected strategic areas and we are fielding more than 600 candidates across the country and for us it is important. Our philosophy has always been that the people of Guyana, citizens in communities are the ones that must take control. Also, our partner in the APNU was instrumental in ensuring that we have local government back on board,” she said.

YOUNG PEOPLE
She noted that a lot of people did not understand the process the first time around. However, this time, the majority of the AFC candidates are young people, many below the age of 35.

Hughes said the AFC wants to ensure that it gives youths the opportunity to start to get the necessary experience to be the future leaders of tomorrow; and it is no better place for them to start but at the local government level.

She is hoping that young people will go into their regions, into their NDCs, into the local organs and represent and serve their communities.

“Change is a process… each of us today commits to being an important link in that chain. A chain that can grow in length with hard work, tirelessly pounding the streets of our communities, knocking on doors and taking the time to educate… taking time to instill hope in our citizens,” she said.

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, also echoed similar sentiments and urged party members to be good citizens throughout the campaign by conducting themselves with integrity and respect for every other person they meet along the way.