–assures residents of the PPP/C’s commitment to improve lives
–says there will be greater improvements for Georgetown once elected at the upcoming LGEs

ON a mission to restore the once revered Garden City to its former glory, Odayson Ashby is contesting the Local Government Elections (LGEs) as a People Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) candidate for Stabroek- Wortmanville-Werk-En-Rust, Constituency Eight.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Ashby remarked: “Guyanese have far too long seen the capital city, for the past three decades, stagnant, to some extent.”

According to the 36-year-old businessman, he is hopeful that residents of that constituency will give the PPP/C a chance to build a better Guyana at all levels, including at City Hall, which has been controlled by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R)/A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

“…I personally believe if we want to see a change, we must become that change we wish to see” he said.

When asked why he decided to join the political arena and in particular the PPP/C, Ashby said that it was the wrongdoings of APNU and the blatant abuse of democracy that made him stand up and want to effect change in society.

He said that during the period immediately after the passage of no-confidence motion against the APNU+AFC government, he made the promise to himself to become more involved in politics to ensure a transformative Guyana.

“So, we would have put together a very diverse list that reflects young professionals… that can truly transform Georgetown and City Hall,” Ashby affirmed, noting that the party’s list reflects Guyana.

With the aim of producing a One Guyana that is free from division, the PPP/C candidate said: “We are very committed to working with each stakeholder despite of whichever political party…”

Among several of his goals for constituency eight, the young entrepreneur hopes to revolutionise City Hall by not only restoring transparency and accountability, but also making it more business-friendly with the implementation of e-services to further improve transactions.

Ashby then debunked the misinformation that is being peddled by the Opposition that once the PPP/C gets into office, they will remove the vendors.

He said that this is not the party’s plan, but instead they are aiming to make vending more conducive to everyone, in terms of health and safety.

“We will not be removing vendors,” he affirmed, noting that the PPP/C values this trade as part of the Guyanese culture.

Ashby also intends to emulate President Ali’s trademark quality of listening to the voices of the people.

He said that the issue of poor drainage has been a prevalent complaint from residents within the constituency, but the politician has been steadily reassuring the residents and the business community that this issue will be resolved once the PPP/C is elected at the June 12 LGEs.

“We will have talks with stakeholders and look at a more modernised system [of] ensuring that garbage disposal is done on scheduled days,” he said, adding that even with this implementation, they are also planning to come up with more environmentally friendly means of separating the garbage.

Ashby said too that he has recognised the concerning issue of unemployment within his constituency. Owing to this, he said that there are collaborations in the works with the various ministries such as the Ministry of Labor and Ministry of Education.

He then went on to add: “We are looking to strongly embrace youth empowerment, skills training and development for the young people.”

Ashby disclosed that in his plan to promote empowerment among the youths, he is also on the road to erase certain stigmas attached to the communities within constituency eight.