Dear Editor,

NOWHERE in the constitution is it stated that to hold elected office one should be the holder of primary, secondary or tertiary-level qualifications. As a matter of fact, none of these are part of the list of qualifications for the holder of elected office, anywhere in the world. Using this well established argument, some may question why Irfaan Ali’s is a topical issue? In my opinion to ask this question would be disingenuous. This is not an issue of Irfaan Ali’s qualifications per se, this is an issue of his trustworthiness and integrity. It is without doubt that Irfaan Ali presented himself as the holder of academic qualifications. This was rightfully investigated, and it was unfortunately discovered that at least one of the institutions he claimed to have attended does not exist. As a result, the “degree” from that institution, which formed the basis for subsequent “degrees” is fraudulent. Since that “degree,” his first, “degree” is fraudulent, then any qualifications which stemmed from this first “degree”is also fraudulent. Therefore, Irfaan Ali has no legitimate qualifications. That’s not an issue, but as I highlighted earlier, the fact that he lied about his qualifications is the issue.This attempt to mislead speaks of a flawed character, someone whose probity is under serious question, someone who is not trustworthy and someone who is not fit to be President of a potentially rich oil-producing nation. In any other country his political party would have withdrawn his candidacy, which is unfortunately not the case for the PPP. The fact that he is also facing 19 criminal charges should be concerning for the electorate. The fact that he is persona non grata in Canada has definitely drawn the attention of the international community.

So now that we have established that academic qualifications are not a requirement for elected office, it is now imperative that I outline what criteria you should use when determining your choice for your vote. To answer this question, I have done some research which I have simplified and edited to make them more relevant to Guyana.

Public policy: This, as the name suggests, has to do with matters of the public as a whole and not personal. To vote on public policy, the electorate must have an opinion on it. In 2017 the Conservative party in its election manifesto outlined that it would have a referendum on membership in the European Union if elected. Many non-traditional conservatives voters voted for the party because of this public policy. What we can see here is that the politicians are aware of what the electorate would wish to have, hence they offer it with a view to winning their votes. Kind of like an electoral quid pro quo. Some policy issues in an election may be quite specific, such as the conditions under which abortion should be legal. Often, the policy issues are general, dealing with broad approaches to problems, such as the government’s policy with regard to managing the oil sector. In our elections, major policy issues will be management of the oil and sugar industries, along with domestic security. How do you think the party that you will give your vote to answer these questions for you.

Government performance: This has to do with the government record over a period of time over all sectors. The APNU+AFC government has placed its record on public display, whether it is via political rallies, social media advertisements, government ministers being interviewed and through writers like our Prime Minister Mr. Moses Nagamootoo and Ronald Austin,Mark Benschop and lesser writers like myself. What you may have noticed is that the PPP would rather not speak of their record, since it would bring painful memories to most Guyanese and will cause them great shame. As a matter of fact, they prefer to speak on unrelated side issues as to what time the President goes to bed and whether Chris Gayle was paid by the government. Frankly, as an electorate you should demand better. How could the answers to those two ridiculous questions pay your bills and put food on your table? No disrespect, but the minor political parties can be ignored and placed in the post-elections crematorium.

Personal characteristics of the candidate: The question that the electorate should be asking is, if that person who wishes to be president is presidential. We have already established, with good reason, that Irfaan Ali is not fit to mow the lawn of State House, much less occupy it. Frankly, even if he enters State House, he lacks the intelligence to flush the toilets correctly; hence, he is not fit enough to keep us secure from the Venezuelans. Therefore the only viable candidate that can occupy State House is Brigadier David Granger. Mr.Granger attended Guyana’s premier secondary school, Queens College, in Guyana where he excelled. On graduation he distinguished himself in the Guyana Defence Force where he rose to the rank of Brigadier. Mr. Granger is also an academic, an author of several books and a historian. He is an alumnus of the University of Guyana, University of California, National Defence University and University of Florida. Mr. Granger was elected to the presidencies of the History Society, the Guyana Heritage Society, the University of Guyana Guild of Graduates; and the Guyana Chess Federation. He was also a member of the University of Guyana Council, Association of Caribbean Historians, Caribbean Studies Association, the Guyana Press Association, the Guyana Book Foundation, and is currently a member of the Guyana Legion and the Board of Trustees of the Guyana Veterans Foundation. This year Mr. and Mrs. Granger will be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. Fifty golden years of togetherness. Mrs. Sandra Granger is an alumnus of St. Joseph High School. Mrs. Granger also counts the University of Guyana and the University of Pittsburgh as her alma maters. Mrs Granger is also professional.She is a retired academic and civil servant. Mr and Mrs. Granger have two beautiful adult daughters. Mr. Granger is a man who is beyond reproach. Over the last five years he has restored the dignity and respect of the office he presently holds. He is personable, amiable and a great public speaker. His nature of being a great listener and observer can be misconstrued as weakness. That is so far from the truth; he is very decisive when he needs to be.

Party identification: This pertains to where along the political spectrum the political party lies. This can be either right wing, left wing or centrist. This can also include whether conservative or liberal. Another way of classifying the party is to identify which constituency it appeals to; whether working class or the upper class. Political parties in Guyana, before the formation of APNU+AFC, was based on race. Presently APNU+AFC is the only multiracial and multi-religious political party that caters for all social classes.The PPP under Dr. Jagan was working class, but now it has become a party that caters only for oligarchs and the wealthy class. The working class is generally used as vote machines and are forgotten thereafter. In the 21st century the PPP as a political party still panders to race, but with the change in Guyana’s demographics they have recognised that they can no longer win an election with only the votes of their base. As a result they have changed surface ideology but their core ideology remains the same, by having Afro-Guyanese as window dressers. Along with this they have developed the comical and racist philosophy of “hug a random black and take a photo.” Consistent with this modus operandi they have developed a campaign of going into deprived black communities, communities they had neglected for 23yrs, to coerce residents into making misguided and misinformed decisions, script political advertisements for financial incentives and make false promises of a bright future. In essence, they maintain their racist and communist ideologies.

I am confident that most of the electorate have decided which party will get their vote. That is absolutely your right, but my purpose is to put forward a whole new variable-dependent method of arriving at your voting choice. As stated earlier, a party’s record is a critical aspect underpinning that decision. As a result, I will continue my presentation of projects completed by the APNU+AFC in 2019.

61. Bartica -Potaro road upgrade($132M)
62. Building of hinterland highway($303 Billion)
63. Rehabilitative road works from White Hill to Issano($126M)
64. 3.3MW power plant at Bartica($800M)
65. Bartica Magistrate’s Court($174M)
66. Water ambulance for Region Seven($11M)
67.  Paruima Primary School($31M)
68. Kamarang Primary School($30M)
69. Bartica mining lottery for 136 blocks
70. First warden station
71.  Kato hydropower($450M)
72. Kato Secondary school
73. Monkey Mountain lapidary($16M)
74. New Mahdia Magistrate’s Court($140M)
75. Outreach medical service at Monkey Mountain
76.  Tractor for Kato Secondary School
77.  Cryotherapy machine for the Mahdia hospital.
78.  Resource centre for Mahdia Secondary School($1M)
79.  Electronic tablets for Kato Secondary School
80.  Water system for Paramakatoi

I will repeat and will continue to repeat, ad nauseam: the PPP is ashamed of its record, hence the reason they do not speak about it or put it up to the electorate for scrutiny. APNU+AFC are proud of their record, but do recognise that you are their employers. You are their employers to determine if you are happy to give them another five years to manage the affairs of the country. You as their employers can follow the internationally recognised questionnaire above to determine which party you would wish to govern for the next five years. I am confident that regardless of what method you use, the conclusion will be the same. Forward ever, backward never with APNU+AFC.

Regards

Dr Mark Devonish