Pouring out from practically every street of nearby villages, thousands last evening assembled at the Lusignan Tarmac in a show of their unconditional support for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government.The many in final pilgrimage before Monday’s General and Regional Elections, decked out in red and while polo t-shirts emblazoned with Vote PPP/C, danced and waved the ruling party’s red, black and yellow signature flags as music blared from the speakers placed around the huge tarmac.
It was a sea of red overflowing that corner of the public road, all pledging their support to the PPP/C as it heads to what many have called the ‘mother of all elections’ on Monday.
International reggae icon Bob Marley’s “Don’t worry everything gonna be alright”, which happened to the final words of Dr Cheddi Jagan, founder and distinguished leader of PPP/C, as among several songs that blasted from the speakers.
And the energy reverberated in the crowd, which appeared ‘battle ready’ as the ruling party would say.
Taking to podium, amid loud cheers, former President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo warned the thousands gathered against the call by the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) to give the Alliance a chance.
In a passionate tone, he said they were given a chance in 2011 and instead of helping in the development of Guyana, they wrecked country.
The opposition had the majority in Parliament for the last three years, and during that time, Dr Jagdeo said they never came to the government and asked for more money in the budget for sugar workers, they expressed no interest to help rice farmers, had little interest in improving education, healthcare and the enhancement of security for the citizenry.
“They had three years in Parliament and the never used their power to do anything positive and that is why we have to take it back from them on Monday,” he said to a tumultuous applaud from the multitude of supporters.
Take back majority
He added: “We have to take it back from them by ensuring that we have the majority in Parliament. What did they use it for, $89 billion of cuts; $89 billion spent in the economy could have generated over $200 billion of flows through our economy. That means jobs for people, jobs for the carpenters and cleansers, the fishermen and everyone else because it will shore-up disposable income, but the sucked it out of the economy because they were vindictive.”
The APNU in consort with the AFC also cut loans for students of the University of Guyana (UG), but Dr Jagdeo said, they will promise the students free education when they get into power.
The Opposition is also promising, he said to give out free computers to every child, but yet they cut allocations for the One Lap Top Per Family Programme.
Dr Jagdeo said the empty politics was also extended to the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, which the combined opposition, the APNU and AFC, also voted down.
“The cut the Amaila Falls… we know how electricity affects costs of living. We could have saved over US$3 billion over 20 years, cut your electricity rate, we could have your business getting cheaper power so that they can generate more jobs but the cut that from the budget too.”
And this is not all, he said, the APNU+AFC Alliance has suddenly developed a love for the Amerindian people now that it is close to elections.
“But they cut over $4 billion from the budget for Amerindian people. Isn’t this shameful behaviour comrades?” he asked the gathering, telling that that this is what the APNU and AFC did when they had three years of power in Parliament.
The former President emphasised that Guyana needs President Ramotar to move the country forward, but it can only do so with a majority in Parliament, as he urged to vote solidly for the PPP/C on Monday.
62 lashes
Dr Jagdeo trashed claims by APNU+AFC Leader David Granger that the Alliance will win Monday’s election by 62 per cent.
He said if Granger was in the class of one of his teachers, who hails from Buxton, he would have been in pain by now.
“If Granger was in Aubrey Payne’s class, he would have had 62 lashes on his backside for misleading people,” he told the gathering which erupted in laughter.
But nowadays, he said, the cane is not used any more, but if were in school today, he would have been sent to the back of the class.
The former President said the Opposition Leader did not make the wild claim for the safe of making it, contending that he did so primarily because of two sinister reasons.
“One, set a high figure so that if you lose the elections you can claim that you were cheated or secondary, say that you are winning 62 per cent because you will demoralise PPP supporters into not turning out… We must not be fooled by this bogus electoral arithmetic,” he urged the gathering.
The APNU+AFC Leader had said that the coalition in the 20100 Regional and General election won 40 per cent and the AFC 11 per cent, and this time around being together, they will win more.
But Dr Jagdeo said the AFC support from 2011 to now has practically collapsed across the country, mainly because they misled their supporters, promising them that they will never join forces with the APNU.
Lies and distortions
This aside, he said, the APNU+AFC has been basing their campaign on lies and distortions, contending that they have no vision for Guyana.
Granger, he said, even to today, despite insurmountable evidence, is still denying that the PNC never rigged any elections.
“If you can start your bid for the presidency by putting out such as big lie, then it is either you are forgetful, you have amnesia, Alzheimer and we don’t want a president like that, who does not have any memory, Ramotar has good memory,” he said.
He added: “Granger doesn’t speak about guns given to the PNC when he was commander in the army, he does not speak about the army’s involvement in the killing of Walter Rodney… his campaign is not a campaign based on righteousness, it is a campaign based on lies.”
The former president also called on the gathering to do not be afraid of APNU+AFC intimidation, turn out in their numbers and vote to return the PPP/C with a majority government.
He said the PPP/C has also urged the observers to watch out for any manipulation that the opposition would try to make after 16:30h to snatch the ballot boxes.
“We know what they are about and that’s why we are not going to allow them to come anywhere near of running this country… we need to come out and make sure that this country gets the future that it deserves, and only Ramotar can lead us into that future,” the former president said.
By Tajeram Mohabir