…Vanessa Kissoon says prepared to ensure re-election of coalition
By Vanessa Braithwaite
“I AM here to give service and once called upon to serve, I will serve. As a leader, I don’t see myself as a former Member of Parliament, I am a leader in the community, I am a teacher by profession and my motto is service, service to the people, so once called upon, you will see me there.”
This was the affirmation of former PNCR Member of Parliament, Vanessa Kissoon, as she prepares for aggressive campaigning in her home town Linden, and the wider Region Ten. Kissoon said that the picture is bigger than personality conflicts and past issues because for her, she is fighting for a better Guyana, under the leadership of President David Granger and the Coalition Government and she must also encourage others to do so.
For her, the bigger issue is saying no to regression. As a champion of human rights and someone who played an integral role in fighting against oppression; one of those fights which led to the 2012 struggle in Linden and the deaths of three Linden martyrs, Kissoon is urging Lindeners and the wider electorate, to not forget the dark days under the PPP regime.
“People who forget their past are bound to repeat it and we cannot forget the 23 years of darkness and suffering under the PPP regime. Our brothers and sisters in Linden Region Ten cannot forget the lives we lost in 2012, Shemroy Boyea, Allan Lewis and Ron Summerset; we have to remember what we went through and to the wider electorate, let us not forget when our sons, our brothers, our uncles and our nephews, when their blood was running on the streets like water, we cannot forget those dark years,” she said.
“It is not only about looking back, but ensuring that progress continues,” and Kissoon said she is ultimately pleased with the achievements of the Coalition, in the four short years. For her, as it relates to improvement in human development, the Coalition should be given five stars. She alluded to the increase in pension, giving pensioners a better standard of living as well as the significant increases to the minimum wage for sweeper cleaners, janitors and security guards, who once stood in picketing lines for same.
She has been listening to how appreciative those are, for now having a tenure of security from those increases. The increase to the salaries of public servants, including tax-free bonuses, are equally appreciated. “We have never gotten this type of increase under the former regime and now persons can safely say, if you ask teachers and public servants, they will tell you that they feel pleased for it,” she said.
Relative to infrastructure in Region Ten, Kissoon alluded to the provision of electricity for the communities of Andyville and Prosville; communities that loomed in darkness for over 15 years. The rehabilitation of the Kwakwani trail, Kissoon said is something very dear to her, as pregnant women and the elderly would have complained in times past, how uncomfortable and wearisome it was, travelling on a dilapidated road for hours, filled with huge craters.
The lighting process on the Linden Soesdyke Highway has started and the former MP also described this as great progress, that should not be forgotten.
The construction of the Linden Synthetic Track, was also described as more than a surface development for Kissoon, who is also a youth leader as well as the empowering of the Linden Enterprise Network. “We see the process have started and this means let us continue the progress, let us not stop the progress; in order for us to be able to complete and continue, we have to be able to go out there and support the Coalition Government.”
Despite what happen in the past, Kissoon said that this cause is bigger than personality, it is about championing the cause for a better Guyana and she will be championing for everyone to not only vote like a boss like they did in 2015, but to vote like a champion. “I will be there campaigning, we have already started the process in meeting and encouraging the people, I am here and ready to go. We don’t deal with personalities, we deal with issues and Guyana is bigger than Miss Kissoon and at this time I am not dealing with personalities but let us deal with the bigger issue which is Guyana and Guyana is bigger than all of us, which is the future of our children. I have children, I have young children and I want them to enjoy what it has to offer, so we want them to see the bigger picture,” she said.
kissoon is urging all regional officials who may have been divided, which led to cliquism, to unite and to ensure that progress under the coalition continues. As for her, it matters not where she is seated but that her voice is heard and that she is always committed to the APNU-AFC Coalition.
