— Harmon urges supporters to vote in full numbers on November 12

MINISTER of State Joseph Harmon has urged members and supporters of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to turn out in their numbers on November 12 and vote in the Local Government Elections, noting that there is no time for complacency.

Harmon, the APNU Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) campaign manager, said after the APNU laboured under the stewardship of President David Granger for the return of local democracy in Guyana even before they got into government in May 2015, members and supporters did not attach the level of importance required for Local Government Elections.

Addressing supporters at Pouderoyen on the West Bank of Demerara on Friday night, Harmon said when Local Government Elections were held in March 2016 under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government, only a few turned out to vote.

“The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) did not beat us here. They did not beat us! We defeated ourselves! We defeated ourselves!” Harmon told the APNU supporters.
According to him, the PPP/C is hoping that the APNU supporters do not vote so that they can get the edge again over the governing party.

He told those present “not this time comrades” as he urged them to turn out in their numbers and express their democratic right to elect local leaders.
“So we are going to come out on the 12th November and teach the PPP a lesson,” Harmon posited.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, like Minister Harmon, reminded those present that it was under the present APNU+AFC Government that Local Government Elections were held in March 2016 after 22 years.

“Under the People’s Progressive Party administration we were denied our constitutional right to elect our local representatives, but it is under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) while we were in opposition, we fought, we called on the then Donald Ramotar administration to set the date,” she said.

Ferguson, who did not mince words on Friday night, said it was because of the failure of APNU supporters to vote during the last Local Government Elections which led to the PPP/C dominating in many of the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs).
She contended that those PPP/C controlled NDCs are now led by “visionless leaders” who have failed to effect the necessary changes. Many Local Authority Areas (LAAs) remained stagnant.

“Why? Because we failed ourselves as a people when we did not turn out in our numbers in March of 2016 to throw your support solidly behind the A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) then. So what do we have now; majority of the NDCs are PPP controlled NDCs and it is not within their interest to bring about the desired change for your communities because, remember for 20 plus years, they failed to give us Local Government Elections. What they did, they imposed IMCs upon us,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson, who said local democracy is not just about “digging drains,” told those present that it is time to bring about the required change that would see local leaders creating avenues for developments, such as cottage industries.

“It is the responsibility of those elected officials to come up with ideas; how can we generate cottage industries within the respective constituencies so they can get money to effectively man the affairs of your community. But comrades, what we have here currently is a set of visionless people,” Minister Ferguson said.

She added: “November 12 is the day when you must be able to vote [out] these visionless people, and vote in people who can carry your NDC to another level.”
With approximately eight days before Local Government Elections, the APNU has been intensifying its campaign to pull support.