THE A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) launched its manifesto on Friday, outlining plans to develop social welfare, boost the economy and reform education, which will be largely financed by the nation’s oil wealth.
The proposals by APNU ranges from cash transfers to large-scale salary hikes, some of which they promised to deliver within 100 days in office, sparking much debate over whether the party’s overreliance on oil can sustain these massive plans.
The coalition launched its manifesto at the Pegasus Corporate Business Centre in Georgetown with its presidential candidate Aubrey Norton expounding on their plans.
The presidential hopeful, in outlining his plans for the nation, said that his party will eliminate poverty.
“We commit to eliminating poverty. The elimination of the culture of poverty must start where the failure begins, namely education” Norton said.
Since 2020, however, APNU has criticised the PPP/C government despite its investments in ensuring equitable access to quality education across the nation.
The government has been able to commence and complete the rehabilitation of over 100 schools, train or pay for the training for 82,000 Guyanese, 39,000 of whom benefitted from the Guyana Online Learning Academy (GOAL) scholarships, roll out free university education and currently writing off $19 billion in student loans.
Key interventions of the PPP/C also included providing free access to high-quality textbooks, expanding the Learning Channel to reach remote communities and reintroducing and raising the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant programme to support families.
Notably, the government is also fully funding at least eight subjects for those students who sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
APNU’s manifesto commitments include tax reductions on certain four-wheel drive pickups and subsidised electricity. The party also pledged to establish a development bank.
Within recent months, the PPP/C government has outlined how it plans to continue stimulating growth in the business sector and support Small and Medium-Sized businesses (SMEs). One of those plans include the establishment of an interest-free development bank for farmers.
Also, having removed APNU+AFC’s over 300 taxes and fees, the PPP/C government outlined that it plans to further ease the tax burden by, among other things, lowering taxes on four-door pickups.
The PPP/C already announced that it plans to create a special financing window for women and persons with disabilities through a development bank.
The government also promised to create job opportunities for persons with disabilities, expand education and home-based healthcare services.
Establishing a development bank to finance SMEs, opening up 100,000 acres of arable land for cultivation, constructing and upgrading farm-to-market roads and expanding the drainage and irrigation systems are some of the plans the PPP/C has in store for its next term in office.
The APNU, in its manifesto, outlined a 100-day plan which includes a cash transfer of $100,000 to all adults, raising the tax-free threshold to $400,000 per month and increasing old-age pension to $100,000 a month, etc.
APNU which was a part of the coalition government with the Alliance For Change (AFC) has been heavily criticised for its tenure in office from 2015-2020, as the coalition failed to deliver on most of its promises, some of which have been reiterated in this year’s manifesto.