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…as pressure mounts for political debates More than a week after the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C) postponement of a public forum with citizens at the Theatre Guild, organisers have still heard no word from the party as to when they willPrime Ministerial hopeful (left), Elisabeth Harper and incumbent President,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Donald Ramotar.reschedule the event.Speaking to organisers of the public forum, the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC), a new date for the PPP/C to take the stage,Wholesale Jerseys From China, has not yet been organised.On April 15, the PPP/C was scheduled to take part in a public forum organised by the GNYC and the Guyana Women’s Roundtable (GWR) to address questions on issues surrounding women and youth policy. However the party reportedly rescheduled due to issues with space and air conditioning at the Parade Street, Kingston location.A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), was first to take part in the public forum the Monday of that week.Representing the coalition was Presidential candidate David Granger and AFC executive member Catherine Hughes, who answered questions on their plans for Guyana should they win at the polls come May 11.The coalition had entered the forum with the understanding that PPP/C incumbent President Donald Ramotar and Prime Ministerial hopeful Elisabeth Harper would have also been part of the public forum.APNU+AFC has since rubbished the PPP/C’s reason for postponing the event, with Hughes expressing disappointment at the overall turn of events, since her party went forward with facing the public’s questions on their scheduled day.Hughes was quoted as saying, “It is disappointing to the organizations who would have organized the event. It is disappointing to civil society who turned out in their numbers on Monday. We used the same facility. The air conditioning could have been a bit cooler, but I don’t think it was a deterrent.”She however, expressed hope that the PPP/C will stay true to their commitment to the event and “will hold them to their word” with relation to rescheduling the event.The PPP/C is yet to release a formal statement on when it will reschedule the public meeting. While the forum was not designed as a debate, this news comes as each political party faces pressure from international bodies to engage in political debates to address issues that will affect Guyana in the next five years.The Private Sector Commission had proposed a debate between Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates,Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys, however,Cheap Jerseys Store, that too has been at a standstill with PPP/C declaring that it will not allow Harper to take the platform against APNU+AFC Prime Ministerial candidate Moses Nagamootoo.The public forum was meant to be part of the GNYC’s Vote Like A Boss voter education campaign, to give citizens the opportunity to interact with presidential and prime ministerial candidates contesting the Regional and General Elections. Since officially launching the campaign last March,NFL Jerseys Outlet, the organisation executives have said that they have received an “overwhelming” response from the public,Adrian Wilson Cardinals Jersey, especially first time voters.As part of their voter education campaign,NFL Jerseys China, GNYC has organised “mock polling stations” to train first time voters on making sure their ballots are valid on Election Day.“The mock polling stations have been a hit with everyone, especially first time voters and those who haven’t voted in a long time,” said one GNYC executive member. She explained that the mock polls use popular phone brands, instead of the symbols of political parties, to help in the training process.Moreover, some of the organisation’s activities also include training sessions on how to read party manifestos. These sessions are aimed at teaching voters how to analyse party manifestos with regard to how they address policies they wish to enacted, especially those relating to youth issues. |
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