THE first in a series of public meetings to be hosted by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) began with a bang on Saturday in the community of ‘C’ Field Sophia.

Residents of the area and neighbouring communities were invited to a Love and Unity Rally hosted at the ‘C’ Field Playground, in collaboration with the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM).

It was attended by top party members such as Chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and Minister of Public Health, Volda Ann Lawrence; General Secretary of APNU and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; General Secretary of the PNCR and Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally.

Also present were Principal Political Secretary of the PNCR and Minister of Public Affairs, Dawn Hastings and Treasurer of the PNCR and Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan.
Minister Lawrence told the residents that soon the community of Sophia can expect its own hospital and that, furthermore, every Guyanese will have a first class health facility less than five kilometers from their home.

Meanwhile, Minister Harmon stressed that the proceeds from Guyana’s impending oil revenues will go primarily to the agricultural, education, health and infrastructure sectors.
At the same rally, Minister Dawn Hastings called out the opposition leader on his ill-conceived no-confidence motion, stating that it seeks to question a government which corrected the wrongs of the PPP/C such as the phantom squads, the rampant corruption and discrimination.

Present at the rally were also General Secretary of AFC Marlon Williams; APNU Member of Parliament (MP) Jermaine Figueira; APNU MP John Adams; Chairman of the GYSM, Ryan Belgrave; Councillor in waiting, Pandit Ubraj Narine and AFC Executive Member, Arnold Sukraj.

Williams urged the residents to take the 2020 elections seriously and not waste their votes by staying home or voting for the opposition.

Meanwhile, Pandit Narine blasted the PPP as a party which only appeals to race stating that he was proud to be a Guyanese and belong to a coalition government which advances the Guyanese identity and not a racial identity.

Throughout the evening the atmosphere was one of cheering, shouting and laughing as residents, during periods of entertainment, danced to the Eddie Neblett song, Love N’ Unity.

Earlier that day, members of the PNC/R Georgetown District, including Mayor Patricia Chase Green and Councillor Lyndon Hicks, conducted a walkabout to listen to the concerns of residents of ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘E’ Field Sophia.

A clean up exercise was also conducted in the area spearheaded by Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, in collaboration with the Guyana Police Force and residents of the area.

The exercise saw the clearing of a plot of land which would be converted into a play space to cater for young men who had resorted to playing football on the road ways.
Both efforts were lauded by the residents and they were entirely involved throughout the day in both projects.