IT has been confirmed that President David Granger will lead the APNU+AFC coalition into the next General and Regional Elections, ending all speculation as to who that coalition’s presidential candidate would be.

Mr Granger will be seeking a second term in office. This revelation, although not surprising, should be good news to all Guyanese. His Excellency is certainly the most qualified person to continue the job that he started: that of of leading Guyana’s citizens on the journey towards full democracy, social cohesion, equal opportunities for personal development, and equitable access to the benefits of Guyana’s resources. The President is unquestionably the most suitable candidate to lead our nation into a brighter future and a good life for all. The journey to a better future which began on May 16, 2015, must continue without interruption.

The man who is Guyana’s ninth president and arguably one of the country’s most qualified and visionary Heads-of-State, attended Queen’s College. He is a graduate of the University of Guyana, the University of the West Indies, and the University of Maryland, among other recognised institutions of higher learning. His areas of study include international relations, urban policy development, defence planning and resource management, and counter-terrorism.

His career in the service of his beloved Guyana began when he joined the army in 1965. Determined to be the best, he pursued military training in a wide range of skills and disciplines, both locally and internationally. He attended the Army Command and Staff College in Nigeria, the Jungle Warfare Instruction Centre in Brazil, the School of Infantry and the Mons Officer Cadet School, both in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the young officer met and fell in love with Sandra Marie Chan-A-Sue. They married in 1970 and had two daughters, Han and Afuwa. Granger excelled in the army, earning the position of commander of the Guyana Defence Force in 1979; he was promoted to the rank of brigadier. In 1990, David Granger was appointed National Security Adviser to the President. His military career ended when he retired from the service in 1992.

David Granger then became an entrepreneur and managing editor when he founded the Guyana Review news magazine in that same year. Later, Granger added “author” to his already outstanding résumé when he wrote two books, ‘Guyana’s state media: the quest for control,’ and ‘A Preliminary Study of Women Soldiers in the Anglophone Caribbean.’
Throughout his life, Granger has pursued multiple interests: he has headed numerous societies, associations, foundations, and boards. He became known as a voracious reader, prolific writer, and ardent student of history. Despite his wide-ranging interests and areas of expertise, he has always made time to play his favourite game– chess. Of course, he served as President of the Guyana Chess Federation, and, to this day, remains a respected opponent.

At this juncture in his already remarkable life, Granger reportedly became increasingly aware of the plight of the majority of Guyanese. He was troubled by the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor, and the scarcity of opportunities for hinterland Guyanese; and he decided to work towards the goal of fixing those and other problems.

In 2010, he successfully campaigned to be elected as the presidential candidate of the People’s National Congress Reform. In the November 2011 General and Regional Elections, Granger ran as the opposition coalition’s presidential candidate; the coalition lost the bid for the presidency and control of the executive branch of government; Donald Ramotar of the PPP became president and Granger was unanimously elected leader of the opposition in the National Assembly on January 16, 2012.

As Guyana’s descended into an authoritarian, oligarchic, drug-transshipment, failed state under the anti-democratic, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Granger became increasingly disgusted with the situation, particularly the lack of local democracy, the flouting of the law, and the alleged corrupt diversion and theft of Guyana’s resources by the PPP cabal led by Bharrat Jagdeo. Granger stood again as the presidential candidate of the opposition APNU+AFC coalition in the May Regional and General Elections. The coalition won the majority of votes and Granger was sworn in as President of Guyana on May 16, 2015.

On that day, Guyana was freed from the stranglehold of the PPP dictatorship. The capital city was cleaned up, corruption was uprooted, drug-lords were no longer welcome at State House, crime rates declined, human traffickers were placed before the courts, and local democracy was renewed twice, as required by the constitution. It was the dawn of a new and refreshing era as extra-judicial killings, political imprisonment, and anti-democratic practices became only dark memories.

But, oil has been discovered in Guyana, and Bharrat Jagdeo was now leader of the opposition. Late last year, while President Granger was receiving medical attention abroad for an illness from which he is now recovering, Jagdeo moved a motion of no-confidence against the coalition government. The motion was debated and voted on by the National Assembly on December 21, 2018. One government Member of Parliament voted in favour of the motion, and the Speaker declared the motion passed. Under the circumstances, the constitution stipulates that elections must be held.

Even as the courts have yet to pronounce on the validity of the passage of the motion, it has been decided that in any event, President Granger will stand for re-election to the presidency at the next general election.

The accomplishments of David Arthur Granger are too numerous to mention. His work to improve the quality of the public service by identifying problems via a commission of inquiry is an example of his systematic approach to problem-solving. His expert knowledge of matters of security will finally put an end to Venezuela’s aggression. President Granger’s vision of a ‘green’ economy, equality, equity, cohesion, inclusion, harmony, self-sufficiency, opportunity, development, education, economic diversification, decentralised government, good governance and full democracy are exceeded only by his actions to make that vision into reality.

Guyana cannot afford to go backwards into the dark days of PPP dictatorship, greed, cronyism, theft, and corruption. Guyanese cannot afford to allow Bharrat Jagdeo to get his hands on Guyana’s resources. Instead, Guyanese must stay steadfastly focused on moving forward. The democratic gains that we have made under the skilful leadership of a man whose name has never been blemished by corruption, a soldier whose reputation has never been touched by scandal, a gentleman whose character has never been questioned, must continue and be sustained.