APNU unveils broad welfare agenda at 1st public meeting in Bartica

– while promises were many, attendees were few

From slashing taxes on four-door pickups to 15 per cent and increasing the income tax threshold to $400,000 to paying the first $5000 on utilities bills for all households, promises fell like rain on Saturday night in the mining town of Bartica as A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) held its first public meeting ahead of the September 1 General and Regional Elections. But while the promises were many, the attendees were few, with the party’s Prime Ministerial Candidate, Juretha Fernandes addressing a sparse and subdued crowd at the Futu Square. Fernandes, a native Bartician herself, was the featured speaker and opened her presentation by announcing, “My presentation is loaded with policies.” However, some of the proposals raised eyebrows, particularly that some of the initiatives could go into effect as early as September 2, the day after the election. “Your light bill and your water bill you are getting some assistance with that too. Come the 2nd September if your water bill is $11,000 you only have to pay $1000. Because we will be catering for the $10,000. If your water bill is $6000 you will only have to pay $1000 because we will be catering $5000 because we care for you,” Fernandes promised. The platform echoes the ambitious “100-Day Plan” APNU introduced in 2015, many parts of which were delayed or unfulfilled during its time in Government with the Alliance for Change (AFC). Still, Fernandes insisted that this time would be different. “We’ve planned it, and we will execute,” she stated.

Now a former AFC member herself, Fernandes defected earlier this year to run alongside APNU’s Presidential Candidate Aubrey Norton. She was joined on stage by other AFC defectors, including Ricky Ramsaroop, Sherod Duncan, Onix Duncan, and speakers Estiva Lake and Rivaldo Birbal. During his address Sherod, attempted his best to downplay the lack of turnout at the party’s meeting. Additional measures being promised by APNU at the meeting included a new rental assistance programme for those relocating for work, though no details were provided on how this would be administered. The rental support is intended to complement APNU’s long-touted rent-to-own housing scheme.
“Rental assistance will be given to you. So when you have to leave your home town and get a place in the city, we will be aiding with that rent also,” Fernandes said.
The party is also promising subsidies for river transport.
Despite building no new housing schemes during its 2015–2020 tenure, APNU now promises to construct “tens of thousands” of homes” and create accompanying jobs.
On the economic front, Fernandes also pledged to prioritise local content in the mining sector, an area she said had been neglected.
“Mining needs local content too. We are going to deliver this,” she said.
However, the party previously failed to introduce local content legislation for the oil and gas sector during its time in office. Regarding Indigenous rights, Fernandes promised that 50 per cent of carbon credit revenues would go directly to Indigenous people, not through elected village councils but to individuals.
Many of the party’s pledges appear aimed at outpacing the welfare initiatives already in place under the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), including the $100,000 per adult and newborn grants, and the “Because We Care” education cash grant of $55,000 per child. Among the headline pledges Fernandes noted that if elected to Government APNU would be doling out $120,000 annually per child, raising old-age pensions to $100,000 monthly, and increasing the salaries of public servants, including teachers and nurses by 35 per cent.
APNU leader and Presidential Candidate, Aubrey Norton, did not attend the event.