This election will be a referendum on leadership

Feb 03, 2019 APNU Column, Features / Columnists

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Guyanese began a new day on Saturday January 19, to the predictable yet reassuring news that President David Granger would definitely lead (APNU+AFC) A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change coalition, into the next General and Regional Elections. That announcement laid to rest any uncertainty about the President’s intentions or ability.
The reactions of Guyanese to that expected news from the Coalition, judging by their comments on social media was positive, and there was a collective sigh of relief, as everyone went about their usual Saturday morning activities.
Later in the day, everything changed. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) issued a statement revealing its own candidate for the Presidency of Guyana. A stunned PPP membership and many other Guyanese took to social media to express their disappointment at the selection.
The PPP’s statement said that, “The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) today concluded the process of electing its presidential candidate . . . the Central Committee elected Mohammed Irfaan Ali as the party’s presidential candidate for the next National and Regional Elections. Five candidates expressed an intention to contest for this post. These were Anil Nandlall, Dr Frank Anthony, Dr Vindhya Persaud, Irfaan Ali and Gail Teixeira.
“Immediately prior to the elections Dr. Frank Anthony, Dr. Vindhya Persaud and Gail Teixeira withdrew from the contest leaving Nandlall and Ali as the two remaining contestants. Ali received 24 votes and Nandlall received 11 votes from the 35 Member Central Committee, thereby making Ali the official Presidential Candidate.”
It is no secret that the PPP’s selected-candidate is currently before the court facing charges for his role in an alleged conspiracy to defraud the state of some $174 million. The charges allege that between 2010 and 2015, while Ali was Minister of Housing and Water in the PPP regime, he conspired to defraud the Government of Guyana when he acted recklessly in presenting the value of 19 plots of state land situated at “Pradoville,” and sold the said lands at grossly undervalued prices to high-ranking officials of the PPP and their friends.
The public is also aware that Ali is under a cloud of suspicion relating to authenticity of his academic qualifications. Several anomalies and discrepancies regarding Ali’s claimed qualifications were reported by investigative journalists in a number of articles. Ali has yet to explain those irregularities. We doubt that he ever will.
In January 2012, when the PPP government was in office, the regime was being accused of corruption by countless local and international bodies. Transparency International (TI) – arguably the world’s premier and most reputable anti-corruption body – had expressed deep concern about the PPP’s rampant corruption. Further, TI reported that Guyana had scored an abysmal 28 out of 100 points on its Corruption Perception Index in 2012.
Citizens will recall that around that year, at the height of the corruption, media outlets began to question the source of sudden acquisition of great wealth of a number of government officials. Many constructed palatial mansions and were in no way concerned about how they, as public servants, would explain their rapid financial elevation. These clouds and suspicions of corruption continue to swirl around many of them.
In Guyana, we have an educated electorate; voters know corruption when they see it. And by now, they would have a clear idea of who has ‘achieved the unachievable’.
On another note, with the aforementioned serious court matters to attend to, one wonders why Ali believes that it is business as usual. The recent travel restrictions placed on the PPP Presidential candidate were predictable. In fact, in any other jurisdiction, a political party would have thought twice before offering up such an individual as their standard bearer, but not the PPP. Such is the contempt for the Guyanese electorate.
In contrast, the APNU+AFC coalition’s declared presidential candidate, President David Granger has never been touched by any such accusations, suspicions, or scandals. His impressive academic credentials and his personal finances, military achievements, and business accomplishments, are all verifiable and have never been questioned, not even by his political opponents.
This election will be a referendum on leadership. David Granger, a man of integrity, honesty; a statesman and leader who has earned the nations trust versus a cavalier PPP candidate facing multiple criminal charges.
David Granger made it clear, from his first day in office, that he was going to be President for all Guyana: “We are here to witness not the swearing in of the party leader but the President of all the people. I shall be a good President for all the people.” He has kept that promise. He deserves to continue his good works.

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