From disparaging the population as illiterate to denying allegations of attempting to rig the 2020 elections and making unsustainable promises during the 2025 campaign trail, the Opposition parties appear to be paving the way for their own defeat at the upcoming September 1 polls.
This was the view expressed by Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, who stated that despite these ‘ridiculous’ positions, Opposition members will likely feign surprise at the results and shift blame to everyone but themselves.
“When these guys lose the elections, they will blame GECOM, they will blame the PPP, they will cry fraud, they will fault the voters’ list, you will hear the excuses. They will not fault themselves for not articulating a plan for the future development of this country,” Nandlall contended during his programme “Issues in the News” on Tuesday.
During a rally at Bagotville, West Bank Demerara (WBD), Opposition Leader and presidential candidate of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Aubrey Norton claimed that a large percentage of the population was illiterate.
According to Nandlall, this belief could be why Norton and his backers are making unsustainable and unrealistic promises to the population.
“That’s why he feels that he can tell you anything and you will absorb it, you will believe it, and you will give him a chance and you will not think for yourself,” he reasoned.
Nandlall also contended that the Opposition’s resort to making these “grand and fanciful” promises is rooted in the fact that “they know that they are not going to be in government and therefore they will not have to deliver on these promises”.
Moreover, Nandlall reminded that APNU nor its former coalition partner, the Alliance For Change (AFC), when in Government from 2015-2020, did not deliver on their manifesto promises.
“So they don’t care, they are indifferent whether they win the Government or not, because they have a long track record of never delivering on what they promise,” he posited.
Copycat versions
Nandlall said he has observed the promises coming from the Opposition camp to be “grander” copycat versions of policies already outlined by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
“If we say we are going to do something for a $100,000, they are saying they will do it and they will give out $500,000. That’s what they’re doing, copycat politics; no originality, no sustainable plan,” he opined.
“The promises are becoming more ridiculous as we get closer to the elections,” he added.
Nandlall also highlighted the AFC’s plan to distribute house lots for to every person who attains the age of 18.
“There is no explanation how this is going to be done and no estimation of how many house lots we are speaking about, and where the money will come from, and what will happen to the backlog of existing house lots applications, if you are going to only address those who turn 18 and what about those who have turned 18 already and are not given the house lots?” he questioned.
Failed to execute
Further, Nandlall reminded that the AFC when in Government from 2015-2020, failed to execute a successful housing programme for the country.
“What they did for five years was simply distribute house lots that were left back by the PPP Government, in housing schemes built by PPP Government, and to distribute those house lots, they only did about 7000 in five years. We have done 50,000 in five years…but they are out of Government now and they are promising one house lot for every person who turns 18…that is the kind of trick that the population is being dealt with whole day,” he pointed out.
Nandlall also referred to comments made by APNU’s candidate Dexter Todd ,who called for citizens to bring the evidence of the attempts by his party to alter the results of the 2020 elections.
Nandlall was critical of Todd’s statements, reminding that every Guyanese and even the international community witnessed first-hand what was unfolding.
“We saw that you attempted to steal elections…those who are not in Guyana, they saw it on Facebook, the videos are there,” he affirmed.
In fact, Nandlall reminded that the then head of the Electoral Observation Mission of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Bruce Golding had declared that he had never seen such a “transparent effort to alter the results of an election”.
“…and you still running around the place telling people to show you facts,” Nandlall expressed.
During his programme, the Attorney General cited other examples of the ridiculous narrative coming from the Opposition’s campaign and reiterated his position that “when the people reject them, you will hear they will cry that they are were robbed and the PPP rigged, all sorts of things” except to blame themselves and their poor campaign.
