We expect the 18-35 group to move Guyana into a new era

According to GECOM, 46 per cent of voters are between 18 and 35,. Guyana expects this group to be the decisive factor  on November 28 as they choose  the next government of Guyana.

Remember young voters you have no real experience of any other Government but the PPP/Civic. Trust your own experience. Others will give you their versions of past government. The past is gone. Those experiences were based on different perspectives and another way of looking at Guyana's circumstances..It is vital that you make decisions on what you experience now. 

You are choosing a leader for your country. In this election all three of the major candidates are new to the office of President. Two of the candidates went through a process of winning their candidature by convincing their party membership of their worthiness. APNU's David Granger went though the most testing process. He campaigned to win his party's nomination and emerged victor after several party debates. The PPP/Civic did not change their method of choosing a Presidential candidate opting to let a small group at the top of the party to select the candidate. This despite the fact that two of their five possible candidates wanted a change to a more open form of selection similar to the one the PNC chose.

So you the voter have to decide whether you want a leader who has come to you via a democratic process within his own party or one that has been forced on you by a small group. 

Each party has presented its plans for a future Guyana to you. Significantly both opposition groups have mentioned the reduction of VAT. The PPP/Civic group introduced a very high level of VAT. They did not even think of reducing the VAT as an election gimmick. It is obvious that APNU has put its focus on the youth with specific plans for education and job creation. Read its plans and see its clear focus on shaping a new Guyanese society based on its youth.

If you examine APNU's plans with the ruling party's plans you will see a major difference of perspective. The ruling party is obviously tired and thinking in the past. One does not get the impression that it is confidently aware of the challenges facing Guyana in a rapidly changing world. In the past 19 years we have seen it work in a re-active mode instead of a pro-active one. It has a fix it as it happens mentality.

Unfortunately its Presidential candidate is a person who still seems to be trapped in a world dominated by the ideology he learned while in the Soviet Union . Even Russia has moved beyond those days of the past. It is interesting to hear the PPP/Civic leaders speak. They focus on the past. They do not seem aware of the changes in front of them. After 19 years they now are excited by laptops. At this late stage they are talking about new investments. What happened in the last five years?

There is a trend that you must watch. A year and a half ago David Granger was not seen as a future Guyana leader. The hidden desire for a new type of leader in the hearts of most Guyanese allowed him to make the decision to run to be the  PNC  candidate for President. To the surprise of many inside and outside of the party he managed to win acceptance as the party's candidate. He then was able to persuade the party to join with ten other parties and groups to form APNU. This was a tremendous achievement. He even persuaded former bitter foe the WPA to be part of this group. Within the short space of two months he was able to work with these groups and take into account all their different perceptions into a forceful and compelling vision of operating in a new way with the Guyanese people.

Granger then chose a veteran nationalist and leading intellectual in Guyana --Rupert Roopnarine as his running mate. When people see them together they must recognize that Guyana is moving beyond the old politics. Here are two people working together that a year ago we would not have  thought could happen. APNU has quickly established its own headquarters making it easy for its partners to interact in a neutral location.

Contrary to what some said ("Granger is not a politician"--Hamilton) David Granger then energized the PNC base. The huge turn out of supporters on nomination day forced the PPP to go back to the past by creating feelings of racial division. On the net APNU is way ahead of other parties with a dynamic, informative website  Its Facebook  page is responsive and quickly communicates in words and images a party on the move.

As a voter you have to note how well organized APNU has been. You have seen a leader who acts  promptly and firmly. He gets things done. If David Granger can bring together 10 parties in such a sort time he must be the leader we are all yearning for. Remember Dr. Jagan failed to bring together such a wide ranging grouping in 1992 despite having a better climate for a joint opposition.

On Monday stand tall. Act decisively. Step boldly into the future we all want--a united grouping of our people sharing our energies, values and plans under a President who is in tune with our ideals--David Granger. 

APNU on Violence Against Women

On December 17, 1999, the United Nations General Assembly, passed Resolution 54/134 which designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

A Partnership for National Unity (A.P.N.U) continues its efforts to raise public awareness of this problem that is plaguing Guyanese society on this and every day. Far too often in the media, we hear of women in Guyana and around the world who are victims of rape, domestic violence and many other forms of violence. The scale and true nature of the violence against women is often hidden or not given the prominence it deserves.

A.P.N.U and the Presidential Candidate, Brig. (ret) David Granger, wish to denounce categorically the continuing perpetration of violence against women in Guyana. A.P.N.U is committed to ensure that our women are recognized and embraced as equals in Guyana, with equal access to education, jobs, advancement, and complete freedom to take decisions which are advantageous to themselves and their families.

A.P.N.U recognizes that women must be protected by a more empathetic, better trained law enforcement system, supported by a stronger judicial system and national culture that recognises the worth of women beyond the basic objectification which results in the sexual exploitation of girls and women.

A.P.N.U pledges to ensure that women who choose to work in the home are recognized for the tremendous contributions they make to the lives of their families. A.P.N.U will ensure that equality laws passed by Parliament are enforced stringently. A.P.N.U will insist that incidents of violence against women are taken seriously and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, regardless of the class, income or race of the perpetrator. A.P.N.U recognises the need for more support systems for women and girls in crisis, and an increase of the number of safe homes for battered, abused and sexually exploited women.

Consistent with Brig. (ret) David Granger’s emphasis on education, A.P.N.U will insist that the early education curricula for boys and girls, beginning with the primary schools, include sensitivity education to eradicate the negative effects of the abuse of girls and women.

A.P.N.U encourages all citizens of Guyana to join with us today as we seek to raise public awareness of the need for the elimination of violence against women.  We stand together with all civil society groups and NGOs today to say, "No more!" Let us all work together for the complete eradication of violence against women in Guyana. We will be a better people, and Guyana will be a greater nation as we move forward rapidly and resolutely to attain the goals envisaged by Resolution 54/134.

APNU on the move

CAMPAIGN UPDATE

On Thursday 17^th November, A.P.N.U held a Grand Rally on the Essequibo Coast in Region #2. Thousands gathered in their numbers to listen as the Presidential Candidate, Brigadier (ret) David Granger, Prime Ministerial Candidate, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine and Team delivered the plans and policies of A.P.N.U for their Region.

On Friday 18^th November, thousands assembled at Main and New Streets, New Amsterdam, Berbice for the region #6 A.P.N.U Rally. The crowd was enthusiastic as they welcomed the President and Prime Minister in waiting respectively. New Amsterdam Mayor, Mr. Claude Henry welcomed the large crowd while young Ms. Ncosi Thom kept the programme lively. African and Tassa drumming, Indian dance and other cultural pieces formed part of the programme.

It was also a historic moment when A.P.N.U launched its Manifesto on this occasion. The recipients were Mayor of New Amsterdam, Regional Chairman and youth representative, Ms. Ncosi Thom.

On Saturday 19^th November, A.P.N.U took its Rally to Mahdia in Region #8. Presidential Candidate, Brigadier (ret) David Granger had a tumultuous welcome on his arrival and people continue to pledge their support for A.P.N.U. On the same day, a grand public meeting was held at the Plaisance Line Top.

On Sunday 20^th November, Leader of the PNCR, Mr. Robert Corbin, A.P.N.U Prime Ministerial Candidate, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine and young James Bond spent the day campaigning at Mabaruma in Region #1.

Our next Rallies will be held at Hopetown, Mentore Street in Region #5 on Wednesday 23^rd November; Vreed-en-Hoop Tarmac in Region #3 on Thursday 24^th November; Palm Tree Cinema Square, Wismar in Region #10 on Friday 25^thNovember; and Square of the Revolution on Saturday 26^th November.

Our campaign momentum continues to increa

A.P.N.U POLL

A.P.N.U has recently commissioned a poll conducted by an independent Caribbean based consultancy to help guide its campaign in the closing stages and the mobilization of voters on Election Day.

We believe that some of the results are of general interest to the wider public:

1.The poll was conducted in six of the ten Regions (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10).

2.935 persons were in the sample.

3.The distribution of the surveys was 35.6% in Region 4; 21.8% in Region 6; 10.8% in Regions 2&3; 10.6% in Region 10 and 10.4% in Region 5.

4.The population of those sampled was 34.5% in the age group 26 – 40; 29.4% in age group 41 – 60; 22% in the age group 18 – 25; and 12.7% in the age group 60+.

5.The gender distribution of respondents was basically equal.

6.The racial makeup of the vast majority of the respondents, as determined by them, was 37% African- Guyanese; 35% Indian- Guyanese; 6% Amerindian; and 20% Mixed.

7.60.8% of the respondents had a secondary level of education or higher; the vast majority of the remainder had a primary or community level of education.

8.76.2% of the sample held active employment and 7.8% were retirees.

According to the sample survey, useful general results indicate that:

a) in the forthcoming elections “the need for change” and “the need for betterment” are the two principal motivators for voting;

b) participation in the forthcoming elections is expected to be high at 87.5 %. This compares with a voter turnout of 69%; 92%; 88% and 80% respectively for the 2006, 2001, 1997 and 1992 general and regional elections.

For the sample A.P.N.U emerges as the preferred Party for the upcoming elections.

The results also reveal our Presidential and Prime Ministerial Candidates enjoy a very high standing among the electorate with a great demand for them to visit several communities.

A.P.N.U is, however, not resting on its laurels, as polls sample populations at fixed points in time.

Instead it plans to focus on:

1. Areas and communities where greater effort should be concentrated; and
2. Improved means of communication.

Hope Town Rally

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//www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/images/2011/11/HOPE-TOWN.jpg

Politics without Principles

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.

The roots of violence are: Wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principles.

Mahatma Gandhi

Sadly the people of Guyana has just gone through a period in which the nation experienced politics without principles from its government.

Build up your faith. Use your will power to strengthen you. On Monday we need the nation to step boldly into a new future for Guyana--A better, happier, more secure and inspiring Guyana.

Vote APNU and create that future.

Where have All The Gandhis Gone? Part 2

Gandhi was a king without a throne; a prince without a scepter. A warrior of the true order of St. Michael, he carried no ordinary two-edged sword. And still he conquered an empire and ruled without a title or a crown. What Jesus did not achieve in his lifetime, Gandhi achieved: Through his instrumentality he brought an empire to its knees without firing a round of ammunition.

In the year 2010, here in Suriname, thousands of miles across the ocean from India, what does this have to do with us?

One year ago, on the occasion of the 140^th Jayanthi, I posed a question: Where have all the 'Gandhis' gone? The question was a deliberate echo of Bob Dylan's famous song, 'Where have all the flowers gone?' a song that reverberated in an era of protest across the international airwaves even as war raged in parts of south-east Asia. And here we are gathered one year later, and like an old scratched record, Mr. Taylor poses the same question: 'Where have all the Gandhis gone?'

Some of you may ask why repeat the question a year later? The speaker's intent then, as today, is a deliberate attempt to demythologize Gandhi as a relic of history, an icon of the last century. It is a serious attempt to wrench Mohandas Gandhiji out of dry history books and academic study, and instead to say that his approach is relevant to our world, in our time, at this moment of history - right here and now with climate change on everyone's doorsteps in the global village of the 21^St century - yes, right here in Suriname - even in the microcosm of the AlphaMax and the ICC.

One year ago, I advanced the view that great and noble souls like Jesus and Gandhi, the Buddha, Mohammed, St. Francis, Mother Teresa, Gurudev Tagore, Shri Yoganandaji, Dada Lekraj, Bahullah, the list is countless - they do not come to the world to be worshipped. Instead, they come and are sent as examples, Promethean light-bearers pointing the way - illuminating a course for those who follow. While worship may help in the establishing what they espouse, from their enlightened perspective, of greater importance and significance is the recognition that we who follow possess similar potentialities as they do, and therefore, in emulating and follow their examples, we would be agents in helping to establish a stable world order of peace, mutual respect, and enlightened happiness.

And so, the question Mr. Taylor posed last year and this one as well - where have all the Gandhis gone - is a rhetorical question. It is in fact a call to us gathered here this evening to become Gandhi-like - not just on this Jayanthi celebration, but in the living circumstances, however mundane or extraordinary, life presents or confronts us with.

Dear friends, allow me to touch on three aspects of the Mahatma's life that I think are worthy of reflection on this 141^st birth anniversary.

The first is that quality that truth-seeking souls manifest in the ascent to lasting freedom and greatness: that is the quality of simplicity. Gandhi was an amazingly simple man - he stripped life down to her utter essentials: be honest and truthful, and take care in your actions - not to harm others. Here was a man who even as he walked with

kings, presidents and princes - he never lost the common touch. 'Harijan' a key Gandhian concept became a foundation pillar in his vision of social uplift. He even lived as one. No one was to be overlooked or excluded; none were to be left behind.

Given his concept of trusteeship, the wealthy or those with considerable means were to function as trustees for those who had little or were underprivileged. Talk about 'affirmative aciton' and 'no child left behind' - he was not someone who merely spoke about it, he walked the talk and made it his business to recruit others in fighting the cause for betterment of not only the middle class but the poorest of the poor. In our world where the divide between the rich and poor have reached epic proportions - the latest scats of Suriname suggest that the wealth of the nation is in the hands of 1% of the people - any child listening must also ask him or herself: Where have all the Gandhis gone?

Even as he debated matters of national significance and sought to find solutions and strategies for India's struggle for freedom and independence, he found time to be in the company of sheep and goats, and in utter simplicity, he even found time to play with clay. He understood the language of children and his consciousness reached down effortlessly to the inanimate realm - where being a vegetarian, drinking goat's milk and understanding his role to be a priest and steward of nature meant as much to him as debating the consequences and virtues of not taking up arms against India's colonial master, the British, during World War II. Here was a man for all seasons: a friend of children, a lover of animals, a clear thinker, a peace-maker, and yet a master strategist when it came to developing and executing a plan of action for national freedom.

The second aspect of the Mahatma Mr. Taylor would like to shine a torch on is Gandhi's unswerving commitment to self-transformation. Gandhi was not born Mahatma Gandhi; he was born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the son of Putlibai and Karamchand. Like you and me, he was an 'atma' - a living soul. However, he became a Mahatma. The honorific title of Mahatma, just like the honorific title of Christ, was bestowed upon Gandhi not at birth; but in Gandhi's case, after he had passed the midpoint of his life. The question, we should ask therefore is how did he receive this title? (As a footnote, perhaps, a congruent line of questioning should be applied to the person of Jesus, on whom the honorific title of the Christ was bestowed more than 2000 years ago.) The honorific title of Mahatma -which Gandhi himself was not very comfortable with - was the result of Gandhi's successful struggle through persistence to push beyond commonly-accepted limits and standards; indeed the title was the reflection of the degree of lustrous excellence he had achieved in personal development, growth, and self-transformation. Here was a man who approached life as a polynomial series of challenges - some noxious and others quite innocuous. And, guess what, he was not willing to give up; he made it his business to persevere and remain undaunted to the bitter, however-bitter end.

Ladies and gentlemen, isn't this supposed to be true of our lives too? Isn't this what life calls each of us to? Like Gandhi, we're all engaged in complex, dynamic processes of struggle amid countless untold challenges. What must be defining for us like him is the spirit and values we bring to the experiences of our life's struggles. What must be defining in this drama called life is the quality of the energies we invest, the quality of the slumbering forces of will we manage to awaken, the quality of our commitment, and the fortitude we demonstrate as we wage the battles of life each step of the way, no matter at what cost.

My friends, it is through an awakening of our slumbering forces of will, an honest awakening of passionate consciences, an honest awakening of genuine soul commitment, an honest awakening of fortitude that we can begin to arouse ourselves to an identity with Gandhi, the man, who became a 'mahatma' after his achievement of lasting self-transformation.

As parents and adults, don't we ask our children to grow up? In fact, given the rhythm of life and just the biological necessity of development, we tell them, "Stop being childish and grow up!" But, doesn't the same principle of development, pushing the limits and going beyond mundane expectations, apply to us, the grown-ups and adults as well? Mr. Taylor constantly tells his colleagues - even in the presence of students: let's not forget, we're also in school - the classroom of life - and in that cadre, successful self-transformation is

an outcome of a life of worthy struggle.

One final aspect of the Mahatma I would like to touch on this evening is Gandhi's deep sense of hope and compassion. With him, there was always room for understanding. As tough as he was with himself and others, condemnation had no permanent role in his universe. In his closing years, we see this amply demonstrated in his struggle to convince Mr. Jinnah to stay in the union. Nonetheless, in this regard, I'd like to project just a few Gandhian aphorisms for reflection on this topic of compassion and hope:

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

The law an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

The law of love could be best understood and learned through little children.

I like your Christ, [but]... your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

What is obtained by love is retained for all time.

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.

The roots of violence are: Wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principles.

And so, dear friends, even as we each engage ourselves in the battle of life, let's not forget to move with caring, kind, loving, compassionate hearts. You see, in the Gandhian universe, as in the universe of Christ and the Buddha, enthroned in each being, indeed in each of us, is a Mahatma as well. It's just a matter of time before it is apparent - even as the same became eventually manifest in the lives of Jesus the Christ, Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha, and in the last century, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Mahatma.

Permit me to remind you of Gandhi's words which last year's guest speaker, Ambassador Pascal Alan Nazareth, has written in his book Gandhi's Outstanding Leadership: "A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history."

The Gandhian vision did not dim in January 1948 when the lamp of his physical life went out. The vision still shines in the ether; and given the urgency of this time as the shades of climate change loom closer - it shines even brighter - merely awaiting receptive hearts and lives to beam through with renewed, enriched, invigorated brilliance and brightness.

Jai Gandhiji!

Sean Taylor

End of Regime in Sight

The hold that this callous ruling group has over the nation is soon to end. The signs are there. The screaming of insults to opponents, the lies and exaggeration are all indications that their time is over. The most obvious sign is their eagerness to buy votes. If they are so confident of their record in government why the rush to give out tractors, land titles, computers, salary increases and plain old money?

Yesterday, a friend told me her son collected $5,000 to wear a PPP T shirt and vote for the party. Then there are threats –a public service worker was told that if she did not deliver at least 10 ‘opposition’ supporters to a rally her job would be at risk. The corrupt nature of the government is revealed by these actions which show that the thinking at the top is not about free, fair and transparent elections but about frustrating the will of the people.

This shameless government does not trust the people of the country. It believes that they cannot think or discriminate. So it has for nineteen years refused to allow competition in the radio industry. It tries its best to screen what its supporters see or hear. It feeds them what it thinks they ought to read or listen. It was so scared that its members would choose another Presidential candidate that it cancelled a party congress and allowed no debates among party Presidential candidates.

              When a government cannot even trust its own supporters how can they expect others to trust it? How can the average voter trust a government that wants to bribe them with gifts or money?  How can a voter trust a government which is not willing to allow them to hear other perspectives? Trust is the basis of a sound relationship. It is clear that the ruling class does not have a proper relationship with the people it governs.

              So let me give you the signs that came from across the river. A friend told me he met a Pandit who was formerly a strong PPP supporter for over 40 years. Even though he left Guyana ten years ago for Suriname he was a supporter. Last week he said after a two week stay on the Corentyne that the PPP was facing heavy defeat. The people he met were angry with the government. Most people were talking about the corruption of government officials.

               Sign number two came from someone working in GEOCOM. She took a three day visit to Suriname to apply for jobs. She should have been in Guyana doing training. She thinks there will be a chaotic change over so she is running.

               There next indication of a change came from friends very high up in The Suriname hierarchy.  A Minister of the Government in Guyana advised his counterpart in Suriname to quickly finalize all agreements because the PPP government is on its way out.

So voters of Guyana your message is reaching out to the world. You will act with firmness and confidence on the 28 November. You will vote to introduce a new era of governance. You will choose leaders who respect you and trust you. David Granger, Rupert Roopnarine and the APNU team have taken the time to talk with you and to put down your dreams of a united Guyana going beyond the tired old politics. Guyana is choosing to discard old patterns of governance. The former major parties have played their roles and have been found wanting. The people choose for a new way of governing—one which respects a wider spectrum of opinions and people input.

What APNU stands for

The PPP is its effort to continue tired old politics in Guyana keeps saying that APNU is the PNC. They tuIt is a grouprn up stale old sayings that a leopard never changes its stripes. APNU represents a major change in Guyana. APNU is a grouping of parties and interest groups that range from a huge mass party like the PNC to significant smaller groups like GAP, JFA and WPA.

The PPP has failed to acknowledge that its main rival the PNC has changed greatly. It has chosen a Presidential candidate that does not fit the typical mould of Guyanese leaders. David Granger is a respected intellectual--a historian who has devoted many years of his life studying significant patterns in Guyanese history. David Granger has also had a distinguished military career and has studied at military academies in five countries.

On a personal level David is a good listener and has an engaging personality. David came into politics only a year ago and in that time has managed to win the endorsement of the PNC membership after an unprecedented series of public debates and voting from the membership of the party. David Granger then reached out to other parties and groups . He even won over the leadership of the WPA who were sworn enemies of the PNC for over 35 years.

The young people who now support APNU are quite different from electors of the past. With their blackberries, Facebook and the Internet they can share ideas quickly and interact with many important people. The PPP is terrified of an electorate that cannot be easily manipulated.

Read what APNU stands for. It is a clearly set out program for change in Guyana.

APNU launches voters’ education campaign

NOVEMBER 18, 2011 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS 

Even as political parties complain about what they perceive to be inadequate voters’ education programmes by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has commenced its own campaign.
Scores of APNU volunteers yesterday converged in Main Street Avenue in the vicinity of COURTS where tents were erected to host the first of the voters’ education campaign outpost.

An APNU volunteer assisting this young lady with some pertinent information on how to vote.

APNU’s Presidential Candidate Brigadier (rtd), David Granger, who was present, commended the volunteers and explained the importance of the exercise to the hosting of the 2011 General and Regional Elections.

One of the volunteers involved in the exercise told this publication that the voter education campaign is not targeting only APNU supporters. It was pointed out that any person regardless of their political allegiance could stop in at the outpost and make enquires as it relates to the election. The volunteers are armed with all of the necessary information including the locations of where an elector will have to turn up on polling day to vote.

These include the authenticated voters’ list. The volunteers are also armed with several brochures and mock-up ballots for demonstration and edification purposes.
Another outpost is slated to be erected in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market today with others stretching across the various regions in the country.

From: Kaiteur News.

Comment: Keep the momentum up. Young people must come out and vote in massive numbers for a NEW Guyana--One that goes beyond the politics of the past.

APNU leads the way.

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A Change Will Come

Sam Cooke's haunting and moving song that acts as a backdrop in my mind for the tremendous changes that occurred in the Civil Rights Movement in The US has been playing for me as this election  campaign continues.


I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river I been a runnin' ever since
It's been a long, a long time coming but I know
A change gon' come oh yes it will
It's been too hard living but I'm afraid to die
Cuz I don't know what's up there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming but I know
A change gon' come oh yes it will

I go to the movie, and I go downtown
Somebody keep tellin me "don't hang around"
It's been a long, a long time coming, but i know
A change gon' come oh yes it will

Then I go to my brother
And I say "brother, help me please" 
But he winds up knocking me
Back down on my knees
There been times that I thought I wouldn't last for long
Now think I'm able to carry on 
It's been a long, along time coming but I know
A change gon' come, oh yes it will 


Play this song and lift your spirits. APNU is bringing a great change
to our drear land of Guyana.

The APNU offers Guyana's electorate a wide choice: Something revolutionary

Quote from The APNU offers Guyana's electorate a wide choice: Something revolutionary
By Dr David Hinds
Source:http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/guyana.php?news_id=8715&start=0&category_id=13


None "of the other parties has boldly come out for a Government of National Unity. They offer you same old backward choice of “Me and Me Alone.” What is clear is this: the APNU is the only contestant in the election that promises something drastically new. The media, which like to talk of the need for national unity in moments of crisis, have hidden this truth from the public -- some have instead openly thrown their weight behind parties that advocate the same one party/one-race rule that they have editorialized against in the past.

Unlike the case of the other parties, if you choose the APNU you will be voting against one-party and one-race rule, which has been the scourge of Guyana’s political experience. The choice is clear. Instead of voting for “Me and Me Alone” you will be voting for “Nah me Alone -- All Ahwee Together.”"

Violence in Guyana

Michael V. Singh

The ruling party is concentrating on injecting in the thinking of the public the idea that only one group of people are prone to acts of violence. So they say the supporters of the opposition are committing acts of violence and are so prone to violent acts that if they win the elections they will run wild attacking PPP supporters.

Now think for a few moments. Society is made up of people you know. You went to school with these people. Remember your class in school. Was everyone violent? Were only members of one race violent? No. Only a few people were violent. They were mainly violent when they were extremely angry. Quite often, when they simmered down they became calm and felt sorry for what they did.

There were times when most of us remember either feeling angry or overdoing things when you could not control your anger. In every family there are unpleasant incidents which we wish to forget. Our nation is a collection of families. No one race or group has a monopoly on good or bad behavior. In the history of the world every major nation has committed grave violent actions that cause national shame.

The PPP presents itself as the good party. It pretends that its supporters would never do the things it is accusing the opposition of doing —heckling, destroying posters and bill boards, threatening violence and doing violence. Asgar Ali’s party, ROAR and many parties that have in the past tried to campaign in PPP strongholds suffered from all of the acts I just mentioned.

What is alarming is that the PPP (like some groups in Rwanda in the 1990 genocide episode) is subtly projecting a theme that violence is endemic to one group in our society. They are the evil ones, always doing the bad things. This is obviously not true. At election time supporters will get emotional and will heckle, boo and tear down posters. I would advise APNU supporters not to focus on the PPP’s message.

 Put your attention on what APNU stands for and what it plans to do. Don’t complain about what exists and what the PPP has done. Assume that this is clear. If people cannot see that the present scenario is not good then too bad for them.

Send a clear message that better times are coming. Project in your mind the vision that Guyana is moving forward together to a happy, prosperous vibrant future. Don’t go on the defensive. If someone repeats the trash that key PPP people are saying, look at the person directly in the eye and say: do I look like someone who wishes you harm or who wants to do you harm? I am someone who loves all of Guyana. I want to work with you to build a happier and better society.

Remember your days at school. There were days when you felt compassion for even the most terrible of students. I am sure you didn’t feel that only one group was evil. I am sure you remember times when even the nicest students did mischievous things. Everyone out there in the electorate was once at school. Think for yourself. Be clear. Put your attention on moving beyond old time divisive politics. Move boldly forward beyond the era of a divided nation.

THIS IS WHAT THE 8% INCREASE FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS REALLY MEAN

servants should look President Jagdeo’s gift-horses in the month. Since, a wage increase of 8% for 2011 means that more than half of that is already lost, at the projected rate of inflation of 4.4% given in the National Budget 2011.

Of the remaining 3.6%, well over half, could be paid out in:

ü  The 16% VAT plus

ü  The 331/3% Income Tax plus

ü  The National Insurance Contribution (Social Security taxes/NIS).

Therefore, depending on the earnings of the particular worker, the net increase is less than 2%.

THE MONTHLY BENEFITS FOR THE PRESIDENT

At the same time, according to the calculations of APNU, the value of the monthly pension payment and perks for the President will top G$3.8 million dollars, if we correctly add to the current estimate in circulation the tax-expenditure benefit (value) to the President of the tax-free status of his salary and perks.

THE MINIMUM WAGE

Just as shockingly, over the period of the much discussed rebased GDP series (2006-2010) the average annual rate of growth has been 4%. Yet, as the GPSU have pointed out, the minimum wage for this period has increased by 27.4% while the cumulative inflation rate was 32%.

A Partnership For National Unity

Secretariat

121 Regent Road, Bourda

Georgetown, Guyana.

Friday 4 November 2011

Welcome

Thank you for visiting my blog. In the next few weeks I will try to put online my thoughts about the 2011 elections in Guyana.
APNU
For these elections I am supporting the candidacy of David Grainger for President and Rupert Roopnarine for Prime Minister.

These two are the candidates for the grouping of parties called APNU--a partnership for National Unity. I believe in these ideals and I will write to support them.

Do read and comment on what I write. I know that many are in a state of apathy and lack the energy to lift themselves up and energize themselves and others for meaningful change.