–says former President has ‘no track record’ to stand on; party has always matched its words to its actions

The following is a full statement from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic
“FORMER President, former leader of the PNCR, former Chairman of the APNU, and the APNU+AFC Coalition, Mr. David Granger, emerged on June 11, 2023, seemingly emboldened by the misguided notion that the Guyanese people suffer from short-memories, to pontificate, shamelessly, on the issue of trust.

“At the 11th hour, Mr. Granger’s last-ditch effort to ramp up support among Guyanese at Local Government Elections, scheduled for Monday, June 12, 2023, [today], exposes the desperation of the PNCR-led APNU, which failed even in its ability to field candidates in more than half of the 610 constituencies and in 25 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs) being contested.

“To wax lyrical about trust, while uttering barefaced untruths, in his familiar ‘sanctimonious’ tone, is characteristic of Mr. Granger and his stewardship as a leader.

“First, Mr. Granger’s attempt to credit the former APNU+AFC Coalition with the return of Local Government Elections as a signal of the APNU’ commitment to democracy falls flat on the face of the brazen efforts of his administration to block the holding of constitutionally due General and Regional Elections, even after the passage of a no-confidence motion, as well as the blatant attempts to steal the elections after Guyanese went to the polls on March 2020.

“Secondly, his further efforts to claim that the PPP/C cannot be trusted because it ‘spurned the constitution’ is unbelievably barefaced.

“The biggest, most flagrant and persistent violations of our Constitution and laws since Guyana gained independence have marred Mr. Granger’s record and that of his administration. Between May 2015 and March 2020, Mr. Granger and/or his ministers repeatedly disregarded the law, often with his knowledge, and violated our Constitution.

“There are more than 15 occasions where, under Mr. Granger’s watch, the Constitution of Guyana was violated. Mr. Granger did not give the sense that he wanted to stop these intrusions on our country’s democratic structure with his detached and frequently aloof attitude in the face of these violations.

“One of the most egregious and poignant memory [sic] of his constitutional violations is his unilateral appointment of a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission. Following retired Justice Patterson’s appointment as Chairman, the matter was filed in the High Court, the Appeals Court and all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice.

“On June 18, 2019, the CCJ ruled that, “we have no choice but to conclude that the process that was followed in the appointment of Justice Patterson was flawed and in breach of Article 161(2)” Guyana’s Constitution.

“The Caribbean Court of Justice, on three significant occasions, had to intervene to reverse Mr. Granger’s unconstitutional actions.

“Thirdly, Mr. Granger ought to be aware that naming a new town or proclaiming a National Day of Villages – the only two substantive “achievements” he pointed to in his almost nine-minute spiel – does not evidence a commitment to local democracy or development.

“It does remind, however, that Mr. Granger presided over a period where “pomp and ceremony” mattered more than the people of this country and their prosperity – the decision to spend billions on food and other forms of consumption at the expense of taxpayers.

“Mr. Granger would have probably been better served if he, having finally emerged back into the public eye, could have defended or at least attempted a defence of his administration’s imposition of hardships on our people; the institution of over 200 taxes and fees; the firing of almost 2,000 Amerindians – who were the first of our people to be targeted by his administration; the firing of thousands in the sugar industry; the massive loss of jobs in the forestry, mining, construction and retail sectors; the removal of the “Because We Care” cash grant from our children; the removal of the one-month bonus for our Joint Services, and the list goes on.

“Fourthly, Mr. Granger’s lecture to Guyanese on the issue of trust warrants underscoring that if anyone should trust the PPP/C it is Mr. Granger. Despite his vindictiveness in taking action to remove access to medical care for former presidents, he was fully supported by the PPP/C government during his difficulties and enjoyed the luxury of having his medical expenses fully covered by the state.

“To date, Mr. Granger maintains use of the most expensive vehicle purchased in Guyana’s history for a public official because of the PPP/C administration, which refused to lower itself to the level of his APNU+AFC Coalition administration and graciously allowed him to do so.

“Finally, Mr. Granger is correct in one respect, and one respect only, that local representation is based on trust and the PPP/C stands confident that all right-minded Guyanese trust that; the PPP/C is the only party they can trust to deliver on their promises; the PPP/C is the only party that has matched its words to its actions; the PPP/C is the only party that has worked, and continues to work assiduously to bring our people together, and further the advancement of our nation for our collective progress and prosperity.

“The only thing Guyanese can “trust the APNU” to do is to look out for their own elitist interests. After the December 2018 passage of the no-confidence motion, Guyanese were witness to a massive land grab that benefited [sic] the ministers, their relatives and their elite cronies.

“This all took place in the face of a shameful lack of focus on meeting the housing needs of average Guyanese.

“The fact that Mr. Granger has no track record to stand on is clear, given his misrepresentation of what took place in Guyana before 2015 – a return to the old arsenal, which is nothing but a menu of lies, half-truths and excuses.

“This is the only ‘Kool-Aid’ that Guyanese should avoid. Come Monday, Guyanese are urged to support the only party that has a proven track record to stand on; the only party that can be trusted.”