UNITED Republican Party (URP) Leader Vishnu Bandhu said farmers will be far better off, if greater attention is given by the authorities to secure markets for their produce in advance.Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle in a recent interview, Bandhu, who recently resuscitated the URP, and will be contesting the May 11 elections, said farmers are the people who feed the nation and no effort should be spared to ensure that they earn for their livelihood.
He noted that a URP Government will place extensive focus on agriculture in leading the fight against hunger and poverty.
Election campaigning is not new to Bandhu, as the URP had contested the 1992 elections, which saw the removal of the People’s National Congress (PNC) Government from office.
Apart from securing ready markets for farmers, the President of the United Federation for Art and Culture said more focus needs to be placed on youth development.
According to him, many youths trained in various professions do not see themselves being able to live a comfortable life in Guyana, and for this reason, they have chosen to migrate.
He said a URP Government will look into this problem, and will utilise the services of both local and overseas experts to address this shortcoming.
Young people, he said, must stay and serve their country and must have well- paid jobs. Bandhu, also known as “John,” said the URP will establish learning centres throughout the country in poor and depressed communities, providing skills training to empower and dissuade young people from involvement in crime.
He told the Guyana Chronicle that many young people do not have jobs and are on the streets, pointing out that apart from giving grants to establish and grow small businesses to provide employment and reduce the unemployment rate, emphasis will also be placed on sport to keep youths meaningfully occupied, and to ensure a healthy population.
In keeping with developments of the 21 century, he also said strong attention will be placed on science and technology, with the University of Guyana (UG) leading the charge, and functioning as a national think tank.
The URP is also promising to develop a green economy and manufacturing sector; provide duty-free machinery and fuel for agricultural purposes; reduce the size of Government; reduce the Value Added Tax (VAT); encourage more foreign investment and secure foreign markets for manufactured products and make more lands available for agriculture and diversified industrial development.
Bandhu, who has also engaged in extensive community work, had contested the Best/Klien Pouderoyen Local Government Elections in 1994–the last time such elections were held in Guyana– when he won a seat.
The President of the Guyana Central Arya Samaj embraces the quote from former US President John Kennedy, who had said: “Ask not what your country can do for you… but what you can do for your country.”