“THE CUP has been a faithful utensil, and so, too, has the PPP/C, standing by you at every important juncture of the history of our country.

“Therefore, I ask of you on May 11, seventeen days from now, to stand by me and let us deliver the biggest victory for the PPP/C! This is so necessary for the progress and development of this country to continue!”
His Excellency President Donald Ramotar, as leader of the incumbent People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), made this stentorian appeal to thousands of attendees of a vibrant public meeting last Friday evening at Market Street, Industry, East Coast Demerara.

“Comrades of Industry,” he intoned, “we have 17 more days to go, as we are here tonight. Because, as you know, the Opposition in Parliament was doing everything to try and stop the development which was taking place in this country!”

The Head of State went on to highlight that the opposition coalition, A Partnership For National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), are telling the Guyanese people that they have plans for development, but yet they disclosed that, if they win the upcoming May 11 elections, within the first 100 days of assuming office, they will make a plan.

This, he contended, proves the opposition’s inconsistency and shows their lack of seriousness, as they have absolutely no vision for the development of Guyana.

Asking the large gathering: “Can you trust these people to lead the country? Can you trust them with your children’s future, given the fact that they have no plan for the future of Guyana?”
The President pointed out the failures of the APNU+AFC coalition to contribute towards development of this country, and said that, for the last three years, there was not one instance of their contributing to the development of Guyana.

The President said that all the APNU+AFC did was to cut almost $89B from the budget; and that money was to attend to things which would have redounded to the betterment of Guyana as a whole, not luxury items.
SUGAR INDUSTRY
Elaborating on how the opposition would retard progress in Guyana, President Ramotar highlighted the APNU+AFC’s plans to shut down the sugar industry. He acknowledged the existence of many problems in the sugar industry, but declared that those problems began only when the European Union (EU) reneged on its agreement with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and cut the price of sugar in 2010 by 36%.

That apart, he said, another problem affecting the sugar industry is that the economy has grown, and the sugar industry has had to compete for labour with the construction and mining sectors, thus it has developed a labour shortage.

Yet, he said, unlike the Opposition, the PPP/C did not give up on sugar.

The President disclosed that “to compensate for the problems within the industry, the Government has to help by restructuring, providing more machine-friendly field layouts, modernizing the factory, acquiring new revenue streams, establishing facilities to refine and package, make ethanol and different kinds of products, so as to diversify the sugar industry.

And in order to do this, he said: “I will remain committed towards investing $20B over the next 5 years into the sugar industry.”

“But when we tried to help the industry by putting $6B to help the industry, the opposition voted against it and tried to cut it from the budget, suggesting that we should stop planting cane and mine tilapia in the sugar cane field,” the President explained.

He said that when asked about the sugar industry, because of its importance to the country, APNU+AFC Leader David Granger said that sugar is too big to fail, yet he voted against the industry.
AML BILL
President Ramotar said those are some of the wicked intentions of the opposition to stop progress in Guyana. He said the opposition also portrayed their criminal minds when they decided to vote against the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Bill twice; and this, he noted, was wrong because it could damage the welfare of the people. He said it appears like the opposition wanted to create in Guyana a safe haven for criminals.

“Now they are saying that if they win the elections they will pass the bill. What kind of dishonesty is that? How come on two occasions they voted not to pass it? This proves that they are sly, and cannot be trusted in any way,” he said.

Amaila Falls Hydro Project was also another project which the PPP/C leader note will give Guyanese cheap energy. He noted that Government would be able to save the $9B subsidy it gives every year to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). This, he noted, is money which Government can save and do a lot more with, because currently the biggest importation bill relates to fuel, and thanks to the Amaila Falls, Government would be able to reduce that bill, and the cost of electricity would come down immediately by about 20%, as not just the Government but also the people of Guyana would save.

President Ramotar also spoke at length on educational development, which he said entailed the Government building and refurbished more than 1000 schools in Guyana; providing text books and uniforms for the children; achieving Universal Primary Education; and lots more achievements.

The President promised that, once re-elected, in less than a year, universal secondary education would be achieved.
ON APNU+AFC CHOPPING BLOCK
He underscored some of the things that the APNU+AFC wanted to cut from the budget, and said the opposition had also tried to cut the student loans provided so that students can pursue their studies at the University of Guyana.

TOURISM
President Ramotar explained that “Guyana has a fantastic tourism product, but it cannot be utilized because Guyana’s infrastructure is poor. He said that Caribbean nations value their tourism product and they value the tourist dollars, whereas we are particularly barred from improving this area because we don’t have a proper airport, “and in order to help the tourism sector to grow, we need to expand the airport.”

He noted that in 2013 the Opposition had agreed with the Government and had allowed the Governmenmt to sign a contract to build the CJIA; but, he said, they went against their decision in 2014 when they cut the budget in an effort to ensure that the project was stopped.

He said the construction company can carry the Government to court for breach of contract, and this is again another typical example of the working of the wicked minds of the Opposition.

“The expansion of the airport will not only boost tourism, but also help small farmers to export fresh vegetable to various markets as we attract more airlines; and this will allow people to earn much bigger revenue by exporting to lucrative markets abroad,” the President disclosed.

Another form of tourism which the opposition cut, and could be a new target, is ‘health tourism’; which the President said developed only after establishment of the specialty hospital, which will allow Guyana to attract persons from the North American countries, the diaspora and Caribbean countries to receive medical attention, in turn boosting our income.
MARITIME HUB
The President also told the responsive gathering that another developmental plan for Guyana is the new deep water harbour. Noting that “it is vital because the Panama Canal is being expanded and would accommodate passage of bigger vessels, he said the deep water harbour would allow Guyana to export more and bring down the cost of living “as we will become a maritime hub in the Caribbean.”

He said that Government had already identified the place in the Berbice River to create the deep water harbour, and is currently in discussion with Brazil to commence this project. Moreover, Government also plans to build a road from Guyana to the border of Brazil.

The President noted that these are just a few developmental plans his administration has for Guyana; and he said, “This election is not a normal one, because it is about our future.

“Therefore,” he said, “I call on you once again to help us secure a better future for Guyana by voting for the PPP/C come May 11!”

By Navendra Seoraj