…as Pres Granger talks up development across country
…promises expanded technical education in Linden, greater opportunities for youths

DECLARING that his six-party coalition was aiming for 99% of the votes in the Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice region, President Granger on Sunday listed the many developments across the country, even as he promised to expand the Linden Technical Institute to cater for training in oil and gas as well as opening up more opportunities for young people to be trained and acquire skills to enter the world of work.

President Granger was at the time addressing a mammoth gathering of supporters, estimated to be the coalition’s biggest rally thus far this elections season. Held at the Bayroc Community Centre Ground, where the government is currently constructing a modern synthetic athletics track, the Guyanese leader urged the residents to give his coalition 99% of the votes of the region. A stronghold of the coalition, Region 10 delivered over 80% of the votes for the ruling party at the last elections, allowing it to claim both of the geographical seats in the National Assembly. But with predictions of close elections, President Granger charged the residents not to take anything for granted and give his coalition 99% of the votes.

He told the rally that with the impending revenues from the petroleum sector, his administration would be able to spend more in developing the region and by extension the entire country. “This is a guarantee,” he told the crowd, noting that he had already started the journey in 2015 with the recommissioning of the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN), with the first subvention of $155M. Four years later, LEN has disbursed loans to the tune of $326M to 570 businesses to residents. Seeing how powerful such an enterprising movement was for the mining town, the President said it will be replicated all across Guyana. Similar programmes aimed at empowering youths and women, will continue to be rolled out, if his administration returns to office.

“Region 10 is a powerful region,” he said, noting that with the human and natural resources it can reach its pinnacle in manufacturing and it is his government that will help residents to do so. “You can produce it yourself, and you can use your manufacturing skills and expertise to package stuff and it has already started to happen. I have seen it in the Regional Agricultural and Commercial Exhibitions (RACE); I was astonished at what households and individuals can produce…every year a wave of women and wave of young people are producing more and more commodities,” President Granger said. The Guyana Chronicle in recent months has featured a number of Lindeners involved in agro-processing and other small-business initiatives.

Youth corps
It is for this reason that President Granger said his government reintroduced the National Youth Corps, which he said will train up to 1000 youths at the Kuru Kuru Training Centre, located on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway annually in various empowerment skills. The PPP had disbanded the Guyana National Service, the precursor to the National Youth Corps. This President Granger said had caused many youths to become unemployed. “Well I built back the Youth Corps, what they break up, I built back, that is what real leaders do, real leaders build, fake leaders break and where they break, I will build…” In addition to the Kuru Kuru Training Centre, youths are benefitting from the Sustainable Livelihood Entrepreneurial Development (SLED), which has seen the empowerment of some 2500 youths to date.

Decade of Development
Turning his attention to government’s 10-year development plan referred to as the ‘Decade of Development,’ President Granger said what has occurred in four and a half years in terms of women and youth development, in addition to improvements in the health, education and infrastructural sectors is just a tip of the iceberg. “During this decade of development we will be able to do more with petroleum revenues and everyone regardless of your race, colour of religion will benefit,” the APNU+AFC presidential candidate said.

He drew the contrast of his decade of development with that of what he described as the ‘decade of death’ – 2000-2010 under the Bharrat Jagdeo, PPP administration. During this era, there were 1431 recorded murders committed. “That was a decade of death, I declared on the 1st January this year, a Decade of Development, when the history of this country is written, we will all compare a decade of death, where youth men were being shot down to the Decade of Development, where young men are going into Guyana Youth Corps, going into university and becoming businessmen…that is the respect I have for the youths of this country,” President Granger said to thunderous applause.

In the past, President Granger had referred to the 2000-2010 era as “The Troubles.” Jagdeo was President of Guyana from August 11, 1999 to December 3, 2011, during which there were three massacres: Lusignan where 11 people were killed; Bartica, where another 12 were killed and Lindo Creek, where seven miners were slaughtered. Besides, there were countless extra-judicial killings, with some activists estimating that around 400 Afro-Guyanese males were gunned down.

Back in 2003-2006, convicted drug-trafficker Shaheed “Roger” Khan, had set up a criminal network here including active policemen and a number of former ranks, ostensibly to go after criminals, but at the same time protecting his narco-trafficking interests.

He was nabbed in neighbouring Suriname in 2006 while fleeing local police, and was later handed over to U.S. authorities. Although the PPP Government had sought to distance itself from Khan, the drug-trafficker had stated publicly in an advertisement in local newspapers that he had been fighting crime on behalf of the Bharrat Jagdeo-led government. Khan had also implicated former Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy in his escapades, and documents bearing the then minister’s signature authorising the purchase of a sophisticated wire-tapping device were produced in U.S. courts during Khan’s trial.

Development in Education
The Head of State also boasted about the improvement in education through the Public Education Transportation Services and the Public Education Nutrition Services, the increase in salaries and pensions, the improvement in infrastructure, housing and security. “Development has been taking place apace over the last five years, we can’t stop now…we are going to use the petroleum revenues for you and your needs, we know your needs and we will develop this country to make life easier for you and to give all of you a better of life,” the Guyanese leader assured.

Expressing confidence in winning the Upper Demerara region by a bigger margin and by extension the entire country, he urged the electorate to vote for a country that will be safe, developed, advanced and progressive. “Let us go forward to make Guyana safe for businesses; let us make Guyana safe for students; let us make Guyana safe for women and children; let us make Guyana safe for all our nation, our grandchildren; let us make Guyana safe for generations to come.”

Also addressing the rally were prime ministerial Candidate, Khemraj Ramjattan; Mayor of Linden, Waneka Arrindell and former Member of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira. Several ministers of government were also present. These included Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman; Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally; Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Valerie Yearwood and Director-General within the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon.