Granger in the Hot Seat…Lying is one of the worst things you can do in politics

Oct 07, 2013 News

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Kaieteur News, on Friday last, conducted a hot seat interview with the Leader of the Opposition, David Granger. Granger has been Opposition Leader for the last two years after he led a new found coalition—A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)—through the 2011 elections. APNU secured 26 seats in the National Assembly.
Below are the questions posed to Granger and his responses.
KN: What would you say about your journey so far as Leader of the Opposition, in terms of accomplishments?

Granger: My view is that APNU, under my leadership, has been able to initiate a major change in governance in Guyana. It is the first time we had a five party alliance in the National Assembly and its success has been that we have dealt with important human development and national interest issues. Although we have not been able to have some of the Bills that we supported assented to, we feel that we have brought about significant change so far.
KN: Were you to go back from your first day in office, and look at your work from then to now, what decision have you made, which would change given the chance to rethink?
Granger: There is nothing I would change. I think I have a good team in the parliament. We work together, we have group sittings and we are united in our desire to build a platform for national unity and to bring certain issues to front, to deal with poverty, education, employment and empowerment. We feel that we have made people more aware of the need to deal with those issues, so I am quite satisfied with the progress that we have made in terms of moving from where we were in 2011 when such a partnership didn’t exist.
KN: Do you think you have the best team as the main opposition party?
Granger: Certainly, our shadow Cabinet is made up of 10 persons, plus me. Each shadow Minister is responsible for at least two portfolios; and every other APNU MP is a member of a cluster in that shadow cabinet. So every APNU MP has a responsibility not only to his or her constituency but also to his her portfolio. It is a good team, we have been able to hold the executive branch accountable in every area: Education, Economic Affairs, Public Works, Environment. We work quite well and each one of them, after 20 months, has a very good understanding of his or her portfolio responsibility. So I am very happy with the team and I do believe we have the best team. If I were to go into government tomorrow, I would be happy to take the same team with me.
KN: Mr. Granger, since the beginning of your time as Opposition Leader, do you think you have been getting the best support from your shadow cabinet, as it relates to the decisions you make?
Granger: Well, yes; because we discuss the matters first, we come in here and have shadow cabinet meetings every week, so the issues are discussed and when we go to the National Assembly, I am assured of their support to me personally and to the policy of APNU because the matters were discussed before. We also have a system of expert groups.
KN: Does this room at times get heated in the shadow Cabinet meetings?
Granger: There are exchanges, but they are not violent or vitriolic exchanges. The issues such as the National budget have to be discussed before, so we have a consistent line and a coherent policy but we don’t have big fights… I look for consensus, I allow all to speak and after discussions, debates and exchanges of views, we come up with a decision and we take that to the National Assembly …sometimes we don’t agree with the AFC but certainly, internally, there has been a high degree of cohesion in our relationship and a high degree of coherence in the message we put out.
KN: What is the decision you made that you are most proud of?
Granger: Well, it is really a policy decision to make 2013 the year for youth and to focus on giving young people, throughout the country, better access to education. I think this will have a strategic and long term impact on the development of young people. There is bound to be change and we will continue to fight for change. I think the decision to make this 2013 the year for youth was a critical decision, not only in terms of declaring it, but also in terms of pursuing it.
KN: Would you be open to a lie detector test?
Granger: Yes certainly, why not, there is no need to lie. Lying is one of the worst things you can do in politics. It is destructive to lie in politics and in communications because the lies always catch up with you. Sometimes people make mistakes and when you make a mistake it’s best that you come out and say ‘I made a mistake.’ But to tell a lie, people should resign when they tell lies, resign from Parliament or Ministerial office.
KN: Would you urge your MPs to resign should he or she to be found lying?
Granger: If it is a lie to affect the person’s integrity or the solidarity of the partnership, I would invite that person to reconsider membership.
KN: Do you think that your shadow cabinet would be prepared for a lie detector test?
Granger: I’m very confident that every member of the shadow cabinet would be ready to take up that challenge.
KN: Would you say, in light of the all circumstances, that the progress of Guyana is at a standstill?
Granger: No, I won’t agree that progress is at a standstill. I think people are more aware of where APNU would like to go and there is movement on the ground. I think people are coming over to APNU because they more clearly understand our message. There might be failure to advance in terms of certain infrastructural projects; but I think in terms of the quality of governance, there is a greater desire on the part of the ordinary people to ensure that we move forward. They know where we want to go, in terms of human safety, public security, public works, people have a very clear idea. If you speak to the people of Linden they will tell you, ‘we want a road between Ituni and Linden or between Kwakwani and Ituni. We want a highway between Lethem and Linden.’ If you go to Region One, they will tell you they want the waterfront fixed.
KN: Why would you say the government has been ignoring these calls?
Granger: Because the government has been saddled with some high cost projects from the previous President and I think a lot of the government funding is tied up in projects which many of the people don’t see the need for.  I think that after 21 years of government, the PPP is fatigued, exhausted; they ran out of ideas. They have become oblivious to the concerns of the citizens, they have no idea how much suffering is taking place on the ground…the PPP has lost its objectivity, everything they find going wrong, they blame the Opposition. If something goes wrong in security, they blame the Opposition for crime; they don’t think the Amaila project is flawed, they think the Opposition is killing the project. Well our duty is indeed to protect the interest of the people…And if I can say aside, that is why the government is deliberately delaying assent to the Local Government Bills, because the tide of public opinion has swung against the PPP.
KN: Of all the recent “troubled” projects that the government has initiated, which would you have reworked and implemented. Likewise which you think is the biggest waste of time and money?
Granger: At the top of my list would be the Amaila Falls Hydro project. We need cheap electricity. I would say that the government should sit down with the Opposition, rework that project, bring a proper, transparent Bill before the National Assembly and let us get on with it. APNU wants cheap reliable electricity, it is capable of transforming the country but the government has brought a flawed project before us and we can’t accept and approve a flawed project. Amaila is transformation in potential and I would advise the government to take it away, rework it and bring it back.
Now when you speak about the waste of time and money, you have to speak in relative terms, speaking in this case. I would feel that there is no need now for government to get involved in a hotel. I think that there are infrastructure projects which are urgent, for example the Linden/Lethem highway and the bridge across the Demerara; those are the top infrastructural projects that we must embark upon, not hotels.
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW

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