-Ramotar tells 40,000 PPP/C supporters at Stewartville rally
ELECTIONS are a celebration of democracy, People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate, Mr. Donald Ramotar, told a mammoth crowd estimated to be 40,000 at Stewartville last evening at the party’s rally.
According to Ramotar, political democracy ensures that the government remains accountable to the society and that the government delivers equitable progress across the nation.
“This is why the PPP/C spent its life fighting for free and fair elections in Guyana…free and fair elections are at the heart of democracy, without it we have nothing,” he said, “November 28 it is our civic duty to go to the polls.”
Ramotar stressed that Guyana cannot afford to go backwards; rather, Guyana is undoubtedly well poised for progress to continue.

GUYANA ON HER KNEES
The PPP/C Presidential Candidate noted that Guyana was brought to her knees when Guyanese were denied free and fair elections, when Guyanese were denied democracy and when those in power were unaccountable to the Guyanese people and callous to their cries.
The People’s National Congress (PNC) after finally recognising that they could not forestall free-and-fair elections in 1992, after decades of rigging the elections in their favour, with the sanction and help of imperialist forces, went on a spree of vandalism, theft and destruction.
The PNC’s then Finance Minister, Carl Greenidge, had declared the country bankrupt with no recourse to salvaging the nation’s financial status during his last budget presentation.
“They ran this country like it was their property…more money was spent on foreign affairs than on housing, health, education and agriculture put together,” he said.
Maintaining that Guyanese must remember what was,compared to what is, Ramotar pointed out that at a time when flour and bread were illegal items in Guyana, the regime then tried its best to convince the world that all was well.
He stated that the lack of accountability has left many of the wrongs in the dark, but what is known is that Guyana was on a steady downward spiral.
“Granger talked about education at the University of Guyana, but the PNC wrecked education…only 30 per cent of the primary school students back then went to secondary schools…teachers left classrooms…now we are close to universal secondary education and before the end of the next term universal education will be realised,” Ramotar said.
The PPP/C Presidential Candidate stressed that the situation prior to 1992 was severely dire, pointing out that the Stabroek News on February 7, 1990 published that a seven-month old baby had its hand and parts of its feet chewed off by rats at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
“This is what they left us,” he stressed.
When Desmond Hoyte, under whose watch the PNC recorded its worst electoral rigging in 1985 was forced to concede to a menu of measures dictated by the IMF as conditionalities for continued funding, which he termed the Economic Recovery Programme (punitive measures described by Guyanese across the board as ‘empty rice pots’), free-and-fair elections became a paramount consideration.
Ramotar said Guyana has been rebuilt “brick by brick” to the state it is now; a transformed Guyana, where emphasis has been placed on investing in the Guyanese people through massive infrastructural works; better delivery of social services; projects such as the Amaila Falls Hydro-power project and the One Laptop Per Family project and policies that have kept Guyana’s economy stable and resilient – the result of which is that Guyana has outclassed many countries in the Caribbean.
October 5, 1992 has been called the people’s triumph when the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan took his place as the democratically elected President of Guyana.

POISED FOR ADVANCE
According to the PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Guyana is now excellently positioned to make many greater advances – advances that maximise benefits from existing resources and take advantage of available opportunities, while working to further develop Guyana via the housing, health, education and agriculture sectors, among others.
He said, “There are great possibilities for all of us.”
Ramotar made it clear that the investments being made by the current administration are an investment in equal opportunity for all Guyanese.
He stressed the need to remain focused on the bigger picture, which is development of the quality of life of people in Guyana.
“We have the resources…we can advance possibilities and create more opportunities,” the PPP/C Presidential Candidate said, “We have come a far way. This is no time for reversal. This is a time to go forward.”
According to him, the new economy being built by the incumbent party will see education playing an increasingly larger role and the investments being made in the education sector are expected to rank Guyana among one of the top educated nations.
He stressed that the promises made in the party’s manifesto are not just promises, rather,it is the outline of a vision for Guyana.

‘SLOW FIAH MO FIAH’
The PNC’s slo’ fiah, mo’ fiah strategy – an offshoot of the X-13 Plan, which catalysed death and destruction in this country decades before in the early 1960s, as well as wounds and a division in the Guyanese nation that are slowly being healed and bridged, leading to relative peace in Guyana among its peoples of diverse racial and cultural origins.
However, Ramotar made it clear last evening that while the incumbent party is open to working with the opposition and has taken many successful strides in cooperation for the national good, the PPP/C will move forward without them if they do not have constructive contributions to make.
“We want to partner with the opposition, but if they are unwilling…we will move forward without them,” he said, “Stand by the PPP/C. Stand by me. If it is good today, we will be better tomorrow.”