PPP/C squandering state funds to buy support for upcoming election- Granger

Sep 27, 2014 News

PPP has deliberately delayed development projects so that they can be implemented and completed closer to the expected elections – Granger

By Abena Rockcliffe
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is saying that it is not being fooled by the pretentious actions of the People’s

David Granger,
APNU leader

Progressive Party (PPP) that it is doing what is best for the development for the country. At APNU’s weekly press conference held yesterday, the coalition’s leader, David Granger told the media that he is seeing right through the PPP and has detected that it is using state finances to fund its election campaign and is using certain deals as camouflage.
Granger said that the PPP has started its elections campaign with a massive spending spree of state funds.
He told the media “the squander mania is aimed unapologetically at winning votes from constituents and communities which the PPP/C has neglected for years.”
The political leader said that Ministers Frank Anthony, Norman Whittaker, Pauline Sukhai, Priya Manickchand and Juan Edghill and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds have been in the forefront of the pre-election spending spree.
To support his statement, Granger pointed out that Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony, “only this year on the approach to elections, seemed to realize that the celebrated 125 year old Georgetown City Hall was in danger of collapse and needed major restoration. He announced the administration’s intention to expend $200M to start work on the building.”
The political leader went on to note that Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker “unilaterally” launched a $500 M ‘Clean-Up My Country’ Programme.
Granger said that this move is an election stratagem in the city of Georgetown.
Granger reminded that Whittaker also handed over brush cutters to the ten (10) Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and a fogging machine to the Regional Democratic Council in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Region (No.3).
The Opposition did not forget to mention Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai whom he acknowledged presented school uniform material to eight villages in the Upper Mazaruni sub-district of the Cuyuni Mazaruni Region (No. 7).
Granger said, “She has also been making a spectacle of presenting all-terrain vehicles to the Toshaos of several hinterland villages from time to time. She had, earlier this year, tried to secure $1.1B for the Amerindian Development Fund in the 2014 national budget but this was disapproved. The grounds for disapproval were that the payment to Community Support Officers was not likely to be utilized for Amerindian community development but to recruit young activists for the PPP election campaign.”
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, did not escape the highlights as Granger pointed out that she has waited over six months and is still to disburse the $10,000 grant promised to the families of children at nursery, primary and secondary levels. He said that the disbursement was delayed in order to ensure “greater impact” on the PPP election campaign.
The Opposition Leader then turned his attention to Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edghill who the PPP/C has assigned to the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region (No. 10). Granger told the media that Edghill had promised to complete ongoing re-construction of the One-Mile Primary School.
Granger said that Edghill had also committed to ensuring the extension of the Upper Demerara Hospital; a Health Centre at Christiansburg; a nurses’ hostel in Kwakwani; drainage, road, and other infrastructure projects.
Granger told the Media that Prime Minister Samuel Hinds “took the PPP election campaign to the East Berbice-Corentyne Region (No. 6)” and that his visit was timed to coincide with the donation of netbooks to residents of Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder through the One Laptop Per Family Programme.
He said too that Hinds also made “lavish promises” that the government would be installing road lights along the Corentyne Highway and would complete remedial works along the 40 km East Bank Berbice roadway.
With those instances and perceived electioneering moves being cited, Granger concluded that the PPP is definitely using state resources to fund its campaign.
He said that the PPP administration has deliberately delayed development projects so that they can be implemented and completed closer to the expected elections.
The Member of Parliament said that, “The Ministry of Home Affairs, more threateningly, equipped the Guyana Police Force with riot gear and has provocatively started training in crowd dispersal. This was timed to coincide with the start of peaceful and lawful protests by A Partnership for National Unity to call for local government elections last week.”
Granger then sent out his call to all Guyanese to be aware of the “motives behind the PPP’s massive spending spree. The PPP/C is squandering state funds, not its own money, to win support for its election campaign.”