APNU/AFC joint manifesto 2015: scorecard and final grade

Dear Editor,

Goal: Healing and
reconciliation
To acknowledge, embrace and celebrate our ethnic diversity.

Analysis and comments:
One of APNU/AFC’s first executive decision following their ascension to office in May 2015 was to fire 1972 newly trained, mainly young Guyanese of Amerindian descent who were employed in the public sector (Inews, Aug 13, 2015). Since then the Government systematically terminated certain ethnicities holding public sector positions. APNU/AFC fired 7000 sugar workers (S Narine, SN Dec 20, 2018) who we know are mainly Indo Guyanese. 15 out of 16 permanent secretaries are Afro Guyanese (S Singh, KN, Jun 16, 2017). Volda Lawrence, Minister of Health and General Secretary of the PNC, has made it publicly known that only PNC supporters will get jobs and Government contracts (KN, Nov 30, 2018). She was not reprimanded for making this statement.
This Administration has done nothing to heal the ethnic divide in Guyana. If anything, their actions, exemplified by Volda Lawrence’s comments, widen the rift.
Grade: F

Goal: Good governance
To defend and increase the civil liberties of our people and regulate Government’s intervention in political, economic and social issues affecting the people.

Analysis and comments:
Repeat above.
This Government has violated established practices relating to conflict of interest and race relations in less than 5 years in office.
By frustrating the results of the NCM the Government denied Guyanese their democratic right to elect their own leaders. The March 2 polls will be more than 14 months after the APNU/AFC Government was toppled by the No-Confidence vote. In addition, the Government stole more than a year of socioeconomic development from the people and, in the context of first oil, and APNU/AFC mismanagement of the sector, Guyana could not have lost a more valuable year.
Grade: F
To build institutions to eliminate corruption and Government waste and improve fairness in the distribution of wealth of the nation.

Analysis and comments:
The following are some of the main findings regarding Government corruption in the leaked Auditor General report for 2018:
1. In excess of $800 million unaccounted for – this is a new finding which is not in previous AG reports
2. Unauthorised spending from the Consolidated Fund which is now $75 billion in overdraft. The foreign currency reserve is also in serious decline.
3. Tax concessions nearly doubled in 2018.
4. Rampant corruption in drug purchases in the regions – Page 417 of the AG Report
5. Contracts being awarded outside public tender.
6. Complete disregard for the AG recommendations.
Outside the AG report, we have seen the award of major contracts without a budget by the caretaker Government to known supporters under questionable circumstances just prior to elections (KN, Jan 12, 2020). It is alleged that APNU/AFC has stolen $300 million from Lotto and used it to buy campaign materials. We have seen that Suriname secured 3 times what we are getting for our oil (KN, Jan 16, 2020) and a US$100 million signing bonus (SN, Jan 24, 2020) whereas we got US$18 million which was kept secret until it was leaked to the public. The Parking Meter contract is another atrocious deal where the entire capital city of Georgetown, not just the key, was gifted by the APNU/AFC controlled City Hall to a foreigner for 50 + 50 years.
All of the above points to a significant rise in State-sponsored corruption under this APNU/AFC administration. Corruption has become endemic; the Government is unmoved and does not even bother to respond when confronted. Even reporters seem to have lost interest in the subject.
Grade: F
To ensure that every citizen has equitable access to the resources of the State and the national decision-making processes, in keeping with Article 13 of our Constitution

Analysis and comments:
See Volda Lawrence’s comments and remarks on the denial of elections and democracy above. Small plots of leased land are being seized from farmers nationwide for the most frivolous of reasons. At the same time 10,000-acre tracts are being handed to APNU/AFC supporters days before the elections (KN, Dec 27, 2019, and Jan 1, 2020). In June 2019 we learned that large tracts of commercial State lands including those bordering our main rivers and close to shore base, sometimes up to 100 acres and more in size, have been allotted to members of this Government (GTimes Jun 28, 2019). Some of the recipients are ironically Government officials who are tasked with the recovery of State assets and work with SOCU/SARA/SARU. That was not the only irony. The Head of SOCU is being investigated for corruption at SOCU (KN, Jan 15, 2020.
Grade: F

Goal: Industrialisation and jobs
To create a new economy that will stimulate rapid development through Guyana’s transformation from a raw material producer to a manufacturer of value-added goods and services.

Analysis and comments:
It is estimated that 30,000 jobs have been lost since APNU/AFC came into office (R Singh, KN, Apr 5, 2019). As mentioned earlier 1900 Amerindians were fired within a few days of APNU/AFC taking the oath of office and 7000 sugar workers have been dismissed and their severance pay was illegally withheld for several months. As if that is not enough, the sugar workers who are still on the job have been denied a salary increase since 2015 (Newsroom, Oct 7, 2019).
On the other hand, the Government awarded itself a 50 per cent salary increase mere days from taking office while all other public servants have received very little to date.
The economy is in decline and with the exception of rice and gold, all other sectors are struggling. The derailment of Amaila by APNU/AFC, when in Opposition, effectively put an end to the possibility of reducing the cost of energy and that torpedoed any realistic opportunity to diversify the economy, increase value-added and create jobs. Rice production is up because sugar lands have been converted and more people are out of employment and have turned to farming but paddy prices still remain low. The Government cannot take any credit for gold output because they came and met success in that industry which is operated by foreigners. What can be more discouraging than knowing in spite of our great oil bonanza we have no chance to secure jobs and tap that resource because the APNU/AFC Government neglected to craft and implement suitable local content legislation to safeguard the rights of Guyanese?
Grade: F

Sincerely,
Ravi Ram