Presidente Donald Ramotar lanza oficialmente la campaña para su reelección
Ramotar blasts Opposition
The governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) on Sunday launched its re-election campaign at a massive rally, which was also used to honour the life of the party’s founder, Dr Cheddi Jagan at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant, Corentyne.
The Party will be going to the polls with President Donald Ramotar as its Presidential Candidate and former Foreign Affairs Ministry Director General Elisabeth Harper as its Prime Ministerial Candidate.
The launch at the memorial pilgrimage for the late Dr Jagan was seen as fitting, given the long and dedicated struggle for a better Guyana. Currently, Guyana is observing the 18th death anniversary of Dr Jagan, credited for the return of democracy to post-independence Guyana. In promising to return with the largest victory for the PPP/C in the history of Guyana at the May 11 polls, President Ramotar said that over the last three years the policies that have been implemented by his administration were those that Dr Jagan would have implemented had he been alive. Ramotar’s three years in office were very challenging, with the Opposition’s stranglehold on the National Assembly, cutting budgets, blocking legislation and stymieing the implementation of several projects, including the Amaila Falls Hydro Project; the Specialty Hospital and the Modernisation of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
According to the Head of State, despite the challenges presented by the joint parliamentary Opposition over the past three years, he did not compromise on principles. However, he noted that it was the same when Dr Jagan was alive.
“I take comfort in the fact Cheddi Jagan had to fight against tremendous odds. And so, today, I am not worried about the actions of the Opposition. Those who claim that they have nothing to apologise for,” Ramotar told supporters. The President said over the past three years he did not have an Opposition that was patriotic and interested in the development of Guyana. “I had narrow-minded people who seem to believe that they can make things bad in our country and drive us back to the time when we had to line up for a quarter pint of oil … in the hope that it will change their political fortune. That is what I had to deal with over the last three years.”
“Not one day did they use their one-seat majority to say ‘Donald Ramotar, build more roads in Berbice, build more schools for our people, build more hospitals for our people, not one single day. Instead, they used the one-seat majority to cut $89 billion from our budget, $89 billion that could have gone to develop the people of our country, and I tried, my friends, I really tried,” the President said.
Ramotar explained that he was forced to prorogue Parliament because at the last elections, thousands of Guyanese could not have voted because they did not have their source documents. “I prorogued Parliament to allow GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission) to have a second round of registration and more than 7000 new voters came on the list who should have been on the list for the last election. I prorogued Parliament, because I wanted to appeal to the Opposition once more for reasoning,” Ramotar explained.
He said elections in Guyana were not constitutionally due until the end of 2016, and if he wanted, he could have prorogued Parliament again, and when that prorogation period was up, keep doing it until elections were due.
Money laundering
Turning his attention to the Anti-Money Laundering Bill, which has been blocked by the Opposition, Ramotar said the Opposition had two occasions to show which side it was standing on. “The Opposition had two occasions to choose which side are they standing on; are they standing on the side for the people or are they going to defend criminals by not supporting the bill (the Anti-Money Laundering Bill). On two occasions, they decided to vote to protect the drug traffickers and money launderers in our country.” Ramotar said.
Speaking of plans for the future, President Ramotar said the Amaila Falls Hydro Project was high on the list of priority and will help to create jobs, which was one of his goals after the May 11 poll. “Both the AFC (Alliance For Change) and the PNC [People’s National Congress] had hydro on their manifestos for the last elections. So I thought this would have been an easy sell,” the President noted. He said focus will also be on the expansion of social services which included the housing sector.
Harper
Meanwhile, in her maiden address to PPP/C supporters, Harper said she was delighted to be the Prime Ministerial Candidate for the Party. “I believe in Guyana. I believe in service to Guyana. I wholeheartedly believe that given the opportunity I can work alongside President Ramotar in the next majority government to help this country reach its potential.”
She also complimented the youths who she said energised her as she entered the arena. “I believe that indeed that you are our future. I want to encourage every one of you to put Guyana first and work to build this beautiful land of ours.”
Harper also took the opportunity to salute women on the occasion of International Woman’s Day. “Remember how much you are contributing towards building your homes, your families and building this nation,” she urged.
