President David Granger recommits to free and fair elections
DPI, Guyana, Friday, December 15, 2017
Addressing an end of year press conference, in the Rupununi Room of the Ministry of the Presidency earlier today, the Head of State said, “I am not aware that rigged elections was an ideal of Forbes Burnham. I have never rigged an election in my life. I have no intention of ever doing so.”
President David Granger, at the year-end press conference hosted in the Rupununi Room of the Ministry of the Presidency
Further, the President said the ideals of Former President Forbes Burnham has had great transformative value for the country.
“Whenever I spoke of Mr. Burnham, I spoke of the ideas he implanted in the party which he founded, the People’s National Congress (PNC). I spoke of his commitment to education the construction of the various multilateral schools, Anna Regina, New Amsterdam, Bladenhall and elsewhere. I speak of infrastructure, Demerara Harbour Bridge, the Canje Bridge, the international airport… I speak about housing. I think he has made a contribution and I have no compunction about admitting that those are ideals that have served the nation well. If you knew what Guyana was like in 1964 you would realise that by 1974 we had made tremendous strides and I have always referred to those achievements but as far as rigging of elections I don’t see how that is applicable to anything I have said, or I intend to do”, President Granger said.
The opposition, has on numerous occasions accused the president of being a protégé of the Late Former President Forbes Burnham and, insists that he exhibits intentions of rigging upcoming elections to keep the Coalition government in office.
The thrust to “Feed, Clothe and House” the nation by 1976 as set out in the First Development Plan of 1972, was a new policy outlined by Prime Minister Forbes Burnham in the National Assembly during the 1972 budget debate. That debate took place in December 1971 against the background of a series of cataclysmic changes in the world economy. The most important of these was the decision of the United States of America to suspend the convertibility of dollars into gold and to impose a 10% surcharge on a long list of commodities entering the United States. This decision had far-reaching effects on both developed and developing countries especially on small economies like Guyana’s.
By: Kidackie Amsterdam
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