abuse of our people

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…says budget cuts were to protect taxpayers from corrupt projects Noting the widespread circulation of advertisements claiming that the Opposition is anti-development,Former Finance Minister, Carl Greenidgethe recently formed coalition, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) has made clear that the cuts made to the budget were done to protect taxpayers’ dollars, asking Guyanese not to be fooled.The time, they say, has come for the government to be accountable to the people and the usage of millions of taxpayers’ dollars to the benefit of friends and favourites of the ruling party, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) must stop.The advertisements were taken to task by the party’s financial point man, Carl Greenidge and woman candidate, Ndibi Nwamaya Schwiers at rallies recently.Addressing thousands at a mass rally on Saturday last in New Amsterdam, Berbice, Greenidge said the last 23 years have been marred by a tremendous growth of income inequalities.Greenidge told enthusiastic supporters “We have had enough! Too much abuse of our people! We have had enough of stealing and abuse of our resources, abuse of our people; enough of secrecy, lies and misrepresentation!”He said that as a result of the government doing things deemed “illegal” and “unconstitutional” the party sought to pass a No-Confidence Motion.Greenidge said the APNU+AFC have put together a package of policies that “would lift you out of the mess that you are currently in.” At that point, the party’s financial point man urged supporters to take time to peruse the manifesto.Advertisements placed by the ruling party were the main source of contention for Greenidge. He said “I was listening to the TV yesterday (last Friday), the PPP are saturating Berbice with all sorts of strange messages on the television.”He said that he noticed it being advertised that there was no housing programme before the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) ascended to office in 1992.Needing no more than the “They lie!” which followed that statement, Greenidge continued  “I don’t know where most of you live but what I know is even in New Amsterdam and Georgetown, the housing schemes predated (former President Bharrat) Jagdeo and when the PPP came in power in 1992.”He took to task claims by the party that the Opposition was not pro-education.Greenidge said “I heard on TV a young lady saying that only 32 percent of Guyanese had access to education.” According to the former Minister of Government, in years past Guyana and Barbados passed legislation for universal primary education and “our education status, until the PPP made a mess of it, was amongst the highest in this whole region.”Greenidge told the thousands that Guyana has produced some of the best scholars in the region: judges, doctors, economists and the like and “we can do it again!”“When the PPP came to office we had pilots… Guyanese pilots,” he said adding that the local industry has been infiltrated by pilots of various nationalities. Greenidge is of the belief that “The PPP inherited an airline service that was made up entirely of Guyanese and today, thanks to their policies, they have chased the Guyanese away.”“That is not progress,” Greenidge said adding that his party’s policies will ensure that the children of this country are properly educated and that they find job opportunities here.He lamented on the days that Guyanese built boats and “didn’t have to buy Chinese boats. The vessels that used to ply these waters and stop at this stelling (New Amsterdam) were built by Guyanese. Today we have to import boats from China.”“I hear on the TV, a long set of stories about developmental projects that are blocked by the Opposition,” he continued.Greenidge told thousands that the projects that the government had implemented without any resistance have all turned out to be “disasters” or “opportunities for them to engage in some ‘scampishness’ or the other.”Among those he highlighted was the recently opened multi-billion dollar, taxpayer-funded Marriott hotel, the Berbice River Bridge, the Specialty Hospital, the Hope Canal and the Amaila Hydro Project Road. “Monies going down the drain,” he said, adding “so when they come and tell you on TV, we blocked their projects and blocked development, its nonsense!”“Where they have spent the money, the projects have been a waste of time and where we have not spent the money it is to protect you, the taxpayer. All the projects we have tried to protect you from have been corrupt projects.”Expounding on Marriott, Greenidge said, “NIS money has gone into Marriott” as he added that the project was one which was initially presented as a private sector investment. At this point, the crowd shouted “They thief we money! We old people money!”“They used the money to put in the pockets of their friends and to facilitate jobs for their friends,” he said before imploring them to ignore the ideas being peddled by the incumbent party.He said the projects are benefitting a select few. “At the end of 23 years of government, we have a smaller proportion of Guyanese pilots flying our planes, we have a tremendous growth of income inequalities. You see palaces, starting with Jagdeo’s, which he claimed is not as ‘grand’ as (Dr. Cheddi) Jagan’s! Nonsense! They feel they can tell the public any lies and the public will believe them but the time for that is over.”Greenidge said the time has come for governments to be accountable “and you have to make sure that all governments are accountable; not only the one you are going to remove but the one you are going to put in place.”He said the new government must not be allowed to take taxpayers’ dollars and “beat you over your head with your own money.” Greenidge implored the crowd to do their “duty” come May 11.Also, as the APNU+AFC women held a rally on Monday, at Manchester, Corentyne, Berbice they took what they deemed unfounded claims of the PPP/C to task.APNU+AFC woman representative, Ndibi Nwamaya Schwiers noted that the Berbice people have been exposed to television advertisements which painted a coalition-led government as one which will return Guyana to the “dark days.”She ripped to pieces claims by the PPP/C, through televised ads and on the radio, of the return of a ban on food items, abuse of power by members of the disciplinary forces as well as the transformation of Guyana into a militarized state.She made clear that such claims are unfounded and assured her women folk that that would not happen. Schwiers described May 11 as the end of the common struggle, “Change is coming!”“No more will they insult your intelligence by saying to you that Guyana is progressing, when in truth about 25 percent of people, and mostly young people, don’t have jobs. No more will they call ‘development’ building a set of buildings that are what you call white elephants. No more will a sitting Minister be justified in insulting our women. No more will they pamper corruption like a new born baby! No more will so-called development exist without a human face” the woman charged.Schwiers emphasized the need to move forward and for voters to not be misled by the “talks of the past” surfacing from the PPP/C’s camp.