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The session was scheduled to start at 15:00 hrs but 30 minutes before the scheduled start, it was difficult to find a seat.The entrances to the George Walcott Lecture Theatre, University of Guyana, Turkeyen, was filled to capacity yesterday in what would be billed as the first-ever town hall-style meeting between four Presidential Candidates of the top political parties and mainly students and staffers.With national polls just over two weeks away, there has been a clamour for the candidates to debate each other, but the ‘discourse’ will be the next nearest thing that they will get, at least for the time being.The entrance to the campus was lined with posters of Donald Ramotar and David Granger, of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the A Partnership For National Unity (APNU), respectively.While debate between candidates is nothing new in the more developed countries, local political parties have shied away from exposing their candidates to perceived potentially damaging questions or situations.First to enter the hall was Presidential Candidate, Khemraj Ramjattan, and his entourage. There were loud cheers. He was made to wait for several minutes as Granger and his crowd streamed in.The room erupted with calls of “Granger, Granger”.Suddenly, the room became even smaller and even the few electric fans failed to make an impression.The room went into another convulsion as Ramotar, surrounded by security and several supporters from government, made his entrance. There were now shouts of “Ramotar.”And the frenzy began. One section of the crowd was yelling ‘Granger’ while another screamed ‘Ramotar’ over and over again.Peter Persaud, Presidential Candidate of The United Force (TUF) made his entrance, though a somewhat subdued one at that.Then it was showtime.The crowd,Deion Sanders Falcons Jersey, consisting of mostly students,NFL Jerseys Cheap, were reluctant to stay quiet, despite threats of eviction.Each of the four candidates was given 15 minutes each to present their case to the students, many of whom were voting for the first time.It was Granger’s turn first. It was a lesson in figures as he reeled out numbers- 70 per cent of CSEC students failed Maths and English. A section of the crowd agreed that another 19 years of PPP/C was not wanted.His promise to reduce the brain drain and make Guyana attractive enough to keep its scholars from leaving was met with loud cheers. He had a solution to reduce UG fees- that is ensuring every graduating student is guaranteed a job. More cheers.His promise for One Laptop Per Lecturer (OLPL) was greeted by loud cheers.Then it was Peter Persaud’s turn. He was hot, mopping his brows and taking several gulps of water.But he did not attack the incumbent PPP/C/. Rather he turned his attention at APNU and the AFC, accusing Granger of ballot box theft during his days at the army.But the clearly opposition partisan crowd wanted none of that and there were consistent scattered heckling.TUF,NFL Jerseys From China, he said, believes in a free market enterprise. However, the AFC and APNU were both sadly mistaken to believe it can reduce the value-added tax without thinking of the repercussions.“Where was the money to run the country to come from?” he asked.TUF was committed to look at raising the tax threshold to $75,NFL Jerseys China Online,000.For Ramjattan, UG was a special place as he and his father and now his two sons are part of the history.Ramjattan zeroed in on President Bharrat Jagdeo,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, who is constitutionally due to step down after the elections.He likened Jagdeo to a sultan who used intimidation,Artemi Panarin Jersey, and surveillance of civilians to subdue the country.“…Ring a bell?….we have a champion of a sultan…”He too brought out the stats citing several reports about Guyana’s lowly rated performance, corruption, confidence in the police and brain drain.AFC revealed some plans for Guyana…especially education, the private sector and hinterland development.AFC will bring a state development bank to help boost lending to entrepreneurs, said Ramjattan.Earlier, Ramotar got up from his seat and shifted a fan so he could be cooled. The chants for “A/Cs” (air-condition units) immediately started up.Though hoarse, the veteran campaigner came out swinging. Guyana, he said, is doing well financially despite several big economies on the verge of collapse. Even the region has recognized Guyana’s rise.In 1992, a lecturer was getting $18,000 per month…This has changed now to $165,000 per month.He recognized that a stable power sector is crucial to Guyana’s development- that is why moves are underway to build a hydro-powered facility.A Ramotar-led administration will continue to place emphasis on agriculture as food prices and supply continue to indicate growing demands.Other crops, the mining sector and the current One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) are all part of the plans that will be continued, he promised to loud cheers from his side.A world class bio-diversity center will be the cards also, he promised. It was a presentation of the candidates rather than a debate. It was also a test of political support for the respective parties. |
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