The PPP Manifesto

The PPP launched what they described as their “mini-manifesto” last Friday. Some may be wondering why the Opposition party would “show its hand so early in the game”, since elections are three months away and the governing PNC-led coalition might be able to “counter” their proposals. But what the PPP has done is to demonstrate very clearly that they do not consider the future of Guyana as a “game” that should be subjected to political one-upmanship.
They are a party that was in power for 23 years, during which the policies outlined in their manifestos were deployed strategically to not only remove Guyana from the stigma of being dubbed a “Highly Indebted Poor Country” but to actually elevate it into the ranks of the “Upper Middle Income Countries”. The visionary “Low Carbon Development Strategy” (LCDS) formulated by then President Bharat Jagdeo, earned Guyana world acclaim for its path-breaking synthesis of eco-friendly initiatives to move Guyana further up the developmental ladder. It demonstrated to the world that “a country could have its environment and eat it too”.
So, we should not be surprised that in is mini-manifesto, the PPP announced, “We will reinstitute the LCDS to help achieve prosperity for our people by deploying earnings from forest climate services to diversify the economy and create more jobs and opportunities utilizing a non-carbon intensive pathway.”
On the other hand, in 2015, the PNC-led coalition implicitly accepted the low carbon pathway but small-mindedly named it a “Green Strategy for Development” while excising one of the major “green” planks that was embedded in the LCDS. This was the “Amalia Falls Hydro-Electric Project” (AFHEP) that was praised by Norway for being the most viable power solution for Guyana and had committed US$80m towards its funding. AFHEP would have addressed the major constraint to the industrialization of Guyana and moving it away from being a primary product price taker: cheap, reliable electricity.
As the manifesto explained: “Energy is key for the economic growth of Guyana and for an improved quality of life for all Guyanese. The PPP/C is committed to providing affordable, stable and reliable energy to benefit both households and businesses. We will implement a program with an energy-mix that includes hydropower, solar and wind, which will lead to more than 400 Megawatts of newly-installed capacity for residential and commercial-industrial users.” Unlike the PNC that promised “jobs” in 2015, but actually cut 30,000 jobs, the PPP understands that governments must provide the environment for job creation. In a modern, globalized world this means providing cheap electricity for value added jobs.
As such, with the PPP’s articulation of its policies on electricity generation, we can be sure they will fulfill it expeditiously with oil revenues in the offing since they had already taken AFHEP to a point of launching before it was torpedoed by a vindictive APNU and AFC that held a 33-seat majority in the National Assembly during the Donald Ramotar presidency. More concretely they promised in this area:
“The PPP/C is committed to implementing the following policy measures:
● Complete the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, moving towards clean, reliable, affordable power supply.
● Produce in excess of 200 MW in the interim, from natural gas.
● Invest in solar and wind systems for off-grid areas.
● Expand the Hinterland Electrification Programme.
● Replace and upgrade solar panels in the hinterland.
● Take urgent action to improve and upgrade the national grid (transmission and distribution).
Develop micro grids for large hinterland villages.”
While the PPP’s manifesto is extremely detailed, with timelines provided, we have used the above examples to illustrate the overarching vision of their development strategy rests on a solid foundation of their achievements in their first 23 years at the helm. The PNC’s boast of “infrastructural development” – the EC and WC highways, the Mandela/Sheriff St bypass – the CJIA, and the stillborn new Demerara Harbour Bridge – were all PPP’s babies.
There were all PPP conceived projects.