THE elections campaigning in Guyana is going very well and I am very confident of not only a PPP/C victory, but one with a resounding majority.I have great confidence that the people of Guyana will make the right decision on Elections Day.
I firmly believe that the majority of the Guyanese people ‘do not’ want to see our country regress to the dark days of rigged elections; lack of freedom of speech; no freedom of the press; denial of basic human rights; long line ups for basic food items; banned essential staples – like flour, split peas (dhal) etc., etc.; empty shelves in supermarkets and stores; high unemployment; high illiteracy rate; high migration rate; high crime rate; kick-down-door bandits; a bankrupt economy; and a huge foreign debt…all of which characterised the dark era of the PNC (now APNU) dictatorship between 1964 – 1992.

Of course, the biggest challenge would be to educate and inform the younger generation which was not born during that dark period and hence, unaware of it…and, of what it was like to live through the horrible period of the PNC dictatorship/rule.

The PPP leadership needs to do more to remind the younger generation of what we and our parents went through when many of us were left with no choice but to ‘vote with our feet’…..that is, we left the country and escape to any other country on this Planet…. many as Refugees!

The results were that Guyanese of all races, religion and creed desperately fled Guyana to the tune of approximately:- 250,000 to the United States; 200,000 to Canada; 50,000 to Suriname; 50,000 to Venezuela; 35,000 to England; and another 20,000 -25,000 elsewhere. This from a country of approximately 750,000 people! Do you remember this? Lest we forget!

Even the Canadian Government recognised in 1995, after only approximately three years of the PPP/C in Government, that Guyana is no longer a refugee producing country.
Again, thanks to the PPP/C.

Today, the PNC-led APNU coalition, their cohorts and sympathisers, want us to forget the past and not educate nor inform the present generation of what they did to us, just twenty-three years ago.

Can you imagine asking the Jews to forget what the Nazi did to them, even though that was 70 years ago?

Try telling the Americans, the Canadians and/or the British People that they should forgive and forget all the atrocities the Germans committed during World War 2, or even worse, during World War 1?
After all, that was 70 years and 100 years ago respectively. How do you think they – the Jews, the Americans, the British and the Canadians – will respond to you telling them this?

My Friends, the PPP/C may not be perfect and is certainly not flawless, but incredibly, they have turned our country around in the past twenty-three years, like no other party could do; with fair, just and prudent fiscal and economic management.

The PPP/C Government has given us back free and fair elections and democracy; given us freedom of speech and freedom of the press; restored our basic human rights and dignity; created equal opportunities for all Guyanese; created universal primary education; created almost Universal (93%) secondary education; re-built our collapsed judicial and justice system; re-vamped our Constitution and our Parliamentary System; instituted a two-term limit on the Presidency; set-up an Ethnic Relations Commission to address ethnic and racial concerns; established many Parliamentary Committees and Sub-Committees headed by Opposition Members as well; and established the National Procurement Committee with full participation by the Opposition yet again. It is the PPP/C which has restored our pride and dignity.

Guyanese are now running back home to Guyana and boldly, with pride and dignity, reclaiming Guyana as their native land. Thanks to the past and present Leaders of the PPP/C.

The PPP/C has built over 1,000 miles of new and re-paved roads, built/repaired over 150 Primary Schools and over 50 Secondary Schools, many new Hospitals and Health Centres, many new Police Stations and Police Outposts, built a Bridge over the Berbice River, a new Sugar Factory at Skeldon, a new state-of-the-art Conference Centre, Sports Stadium and Hotels in Georgetown and vicinity, and given out over 100,000 free house lots to our poorest countrymen and women to build their own homes, created thousands of jobs for young and old people, modernised our International Airport, etc., etc…. in all 10 Regions of the country. And my friends, if this is not economic progress then tell me, what is?

Yet we Guyanese are supposed to forget what the PNC (now APNU) did to us 23 years ago. And if we do not, then we are labelled all sorts of vile names: “Indian Racists”, “Collie Bullies”, “PPP Stooges”, “Corrupted”, “Backward”, etc.

We must Thank God for having strong, intelligent and courageous leaders in the PPP/C – people like President Donald Ramotar, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, Dr. Roger Luncheon, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Dr. Jennifer Westford, Mr. Clement Rohee, Mr. Samuel Hinds, Ms. Gail Teixeira, Mr. Anil Nandlall, Mr. Clinton Collymore, Dr. Frank Anthony and the many others who have stood up and are still standing up for our Rights and our Dignity!

Guyana has advanced from a depressed past with a bankrupt economy and a massive foreign debt burden, to today being an almost debt-free country with a foreign reserve of over 3/4 billion US dollars! Can you see why the PNC (APNU) along with their newfound bed fellows – both inside and outside of Guyana – would like to get their gummy and dirty hands back into our Country’s Kitty/National Treasury? Can you see why they hate our great and relentless leaders like President Ramotar, former President Jagdeo, Dr. Luncheon and Mr. Rohee and others??

Guyanese everywhere, are now holding their heads high, and glowing with pride and dignity, returning home by the tens of thousands, many permanently, to reclaim their heritage and splendour, thanks to the PPP/C!

I have great confidence that the people of Guyana will make the right decision on Election Day.

They will vote for: ‘Forward EVER! Backward NEVER!’

They will vote PPP/C! I Salute my fellow Guyanese.
MANI SINGH
Toronto, Canada