APNU makes an about-turn
–Finally admits PPP/C Gov’t always had Linden’s back

OLD Kai has always believed that with the passage of time, everything will be brought into perspective; and he has been vindicated once again.You will recall that in the lead-up to the Linden unrest in July 2012, opposition leaders from both the APNU and AFC tried to agitate residents into action by proclaiming how the PPP/C Government has been starving Linden of resources, and investments in infrastructure.
There was even an openly racist line being peddled to further fuel Lindeners into action, as they were led to believe that the PPP/C Government was deliberately withholding assistance to Region 10, particularly Linden, as it is an area which it has not enjoyed a majority in terms of voters support. The decision to increase electricity tariffs was made out to be the government’s revenge against Lindeners after it did not win the Region in the 2011 elections. This was the nasty propaganda being peddled, along with many more vicious tales too sickening to mention here.
Old Kai distinctly remembers the field day the opposition media had in publishing and injecting their own vile posturing into those daily reports which helped to set the tone for the violence which was to follow.
With this in mind, it is nothing short of amazing that APNU has now come full circle, and admitted that the PPP/C administration had put together a five-year development plan for Region 10, ever since 2007.
In a statement to the media on January 17, 2014, APNU revealed that the objectives of the PPP/C plan were to realise “a reduction of the Region’s traditional dependency on mining, and the achievement of long-term economic diversification and collaboration among the State, the private sector and the community.”
APNU went on to note that the plan “targeted the agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, transport, tourism, information communication technology and mining sectors.”
It is rather unfortunate that the main opposition party could not have recalled these efforts being made by the PPP/C to develop Region 10 during the lead-up to the Linden unrest. One could excuse their amnesia during the 2011 elections in their desperation to get as many votes as they could muster through any and every means, but to deliberately supress this kind of information to aid in a campaign of violence is not just despicable, but shows the extent to which the opposition will sink to destabilise our country.
Lindeners and, by extension, the people of Region 10 should take note of this telling revelation, and must now question the actions of their leaders. However, based on what came out of the Linden Commission of Inquiry, it is clear that leaders in the opposition have absolutely no qualms about resorting to outright lies, even if they are eventually exposed.
Old Kai can easily recall when APNU Members of Parliament, Donald Trotman and Vanessa Kissoon, and its Regional Chairman, Sharma Solomon were more than once exposed by the judges during the Linden Inquiry for their outright falsehoods.
But, back to the APNU release which focused on the renewed development of the Demerara/Berbice Region in which it laments that the PPP/C administration never fully implemented the development plan.
Both APNU and their Regional Chairman, Solomon, have expressed concern about the lack of investments in Region 10 for the past two years. In fact, APNU is now shedding ‘crocodile tears’, as it calls for a “new plan to resume the task of the development of the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region.”
Old Kai finds it pleasing that these individuals are now so genuinely concerned about the welfare and future prospects of Region 10. It is a pity they did not have such sentiments when they embarked on their “shut things down” campaign in Linden during June, 2012.
Here is what ‘Saint Solomon’ had to say on the shut-down campaign during a rally in Linden: “…we can shut things down. So I am saying to you that our actions are not many; our action remains one…”
What a beautiful and inspiring message to investors, both local and foreign! They will run with all their hard-earned money and pour it into Region 10, knowing that at any given moment, the opposition, with people like Mr. Solomon, will commence another “shut things down” campaign, and their investments will either be torched and reduced to ashes, as was the fate of many during the unrest; or they will be physically attacked, have their possessions looted, and vehicles burnt. Such an attractive prospect for an investor!
The PPP/C Government and the PPP Party had warned the opposition all along about both the short and long-term dangers of its actions, but it was dismissed as simply baseless ranting’s from an uncaring group of leaders in our country. In fact, even the PPP office was attacked and destroyed by arsonists.
Almost two years on, and the PPP/C has been vindicated, but, as always, it has been saddled with the responsibility of working to restore the image of Linden and Region 10, to make it more appealing to investors once again.
But this is no easy task, and it will take years to restore investors’ confidence. It is heartening to note that the Government has already approved $170M for the reconstruction of the One Mile Primary School, which was destroyed during the violence.
In all of this, it is evident that the blame squarely rests on the shoulders of the opposition for their reckless action. And, note how the AFC has taken itself completely out of the picture now, when one considers that they were at the forefront of inciting Lindeners from the inception.
Let me conclude by exposing APNU once more, and confirm, without a doubt, that its concern for the re-development of Region 10 is nothing but a shallow gimmick. This is the very party that opposed the Amaila Falls hydroelectric project, and because of its refusal to vote in support of the project in Parliament, the American investor pulled out.
From the inception, we were told that Linden was a critical point for this project, as workers would have been sourced from the Region, and that long-term employment would also be a reality, bearing in mind the need for employees to take over the operations after the contract of the overseas investors had expired.
Crucially, too, the transmission lines would have passed through Linden to the coastland, thereby creating the possibility for not only Lindeners to benefit from stable and cheap renewable energy, but also it would have enticed investors to come to the Region and create more opportunities and employment because of the cheap energy for manufacturing goods.
Don’t believe Old Kai? Well, simply read the Guyana Chronicle of January 22, 2014, where an article has revealed that the Reunion Mining Company, which has its manganese ore operations in Matthews Ridge, Region 1, will be constructing a silico-manganese plant in Trinidad and Tobago.
The first reason the company cited as to why it could not construct the facility in Guyana, and why Trinidad is a better prospect, is the fact that it has cheaper energy.
Yet another major project lost! And we are left to ponder if the pulling out of the Amaila contractor from the project after the opposition attacks was the reason the company decided to shift its project to Trinidad.