People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali has stated that the incumbent APNU/AFC coalition does not deserve the respect of Guyana’s Indigenous people since they disrespected them on many occasions.
Ali was at the time addressing residents of Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini) during a public meeting on Sunday. He pointed out that the first thing that the party has to do if it wants to bring development to the people of Guyana is respect them.
“Any leader who cannot respect you do not deserve your respect. [President David] Granger allowed his Ministers to disrespect you with one of the most priceless things to you and that is your land, and you must not respect them for the way they disrespected you. On March 2, you will show them that you will not respect them a day beyond that by electing the People’s Progressive Party/Civic into Government,” Ali declared.
Ali was at the time referring to statements made by Junior Social Protection Minister Keith Scott back in June 2017 when he said in the National Assembly that Amerindians were “avaricious” since they had too much land and threatened that they would not benefit from the oil revenues. Despite public outrages, especially from the Indigenous community, Scott has refused to apologise for his statement.
Ali went on to say that the PPP/C has always been a party that brings Guyanese together and works in the interest of all Guyanese – something which it will continue to do if it wins the upcoming March 2 General and Regional Elections.
In this vein, he outlined that it was imperative that the party’s leaders meet with residents and leaders of the various village leaders so they can hear firsthand from them what their problems are and what can be done to address them.
This was done during the many outreaches Ali embarked on throughout Guyana over the past year after being elected as the party’s Presidential Candidate in January 2019.
“Coming to these communities, I’ve appreciated the difficulties you have. I have a better understanding of your specific needs and it is with that understanding that we together in the People’s Progressive Party, and with the inclusion of views of yourselves from those community meetings, have drafted a manifesto that reflects the needs, aspirations and will of you the people,” he stated.
Reinstate
According to Ali, come March 2 Guyanese will be voting to see the fruition of the many programmes that they have asked to be reinstated after they were cancelled by the Government.
This includes the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) initiative and the solar panel programme. Ali said that the PPP/C will ensure that every community, every village, every house, every family benefits from those and the many other programmes that it has outlined.
Another initiative that will be returned under the PPP/C, the presidential hopeful highlighted, is scholarships. He reminded that hundreds of Amerindians got their first chance at secondary and university education. But this time around, the party will go further and ensure that all Guyanese children in every community across the country have access to secondary and university education.
“That is why in the next five years, we will deliver 20,000 new scholarships in every part, every community in our country so that your sons and daughters will fulfil their dreams of becoming doctors, engineers, pilots, teachers or whatever they want. But your Government must support them in [the] realisation of their dreams and their ambitions and that is what you’re voting for on March 2,” he assured.
Continuing along this line, Ali noted that the School Feeding Programme, which started under the PPP Administration, will not only continue but be linked to agricultural development which in the end will boost village economies.
“We have to use as far as possible, the produce from the farmers to supply the School Feeding Programme, to supply the hostels, to supply the hospitals so that we can create demand and ensure that there is market and fair price for the farmers all the time,” he added.
The PPP/C Presidential Candidate also spoke about reinstating the $10,000 grant per child initiative which was cancelled by the coalition. He noted that village leaders complained that 90 per cent of the children do not have access to the transportation that was put in place by the incumbent Administration as a replacement for the school grant.
According to Ali, not only will the PPP/C restore the ‘Because We Care’ grant and increase it to $50,000 but they will also ensure that it is not done discriminately and that all Guyanese students become beneficiaries.
Neglect of critical services
Meanwhile, Ali’s running mate at the upcoming elections, retired Brigadier Mark Phillips also spoke about the neglect of critical services to the Indigenous people including healthcare.
Phillips, a former Army Chief, recalled that Mabaruma and Matthews Ridge were his first postings after completing his training in 1982 and so Region One is dear to his heart.
“Many of you weren’t even born then but since then I’ve been defending this region. This is my region, this is our region and we will win all the seats for this region come the 2nd of March,” he posited.
According to the PPP/C Prime Ministerial Candidate, the incumbent coalition promised Guyanese a “good life” in 2015 but gave the people a “good lie” instead. He noted that the PPP/C has a track record of making promises and delivering on them.
“We have the track record and we will deliver the good life… I want you to be focused… Don’t fight the green and yellow, we have [the] most important thing and that is, voting… The heaviest weapon you can use is your votes so come 2nd of March, armed with your weapon, go into the polling station and put your x next to the cup,” Phillips urged the people of Mabaruma.
