…as party leaders submit “winning lists” for East Coast constituencies
By Michael Younge
The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and the ruling A Partnership for National Unity coalition (APNU) on Friday submitted what they called “winning lists” as they both declared victory at the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE) which are slated for November 12 this year when they will face voters in scores of East Coast constituencies.
Before the crack of dawn, party supporters and leaders were seen camping out at the various Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Returning Offices so that they could have the opportunity to present their lists first which in turn could see their party symbols being the first to be printed on the ballot paper for the LGE.
“I was here since Thursday night… We camp out to ensure that we don’t miss the opportunity of presenting first,” an APNU official attached to the Plaisance/ Industry Local Government Authority Area (LGAA) reported.
At that LGAA, there was no confusion, nor any major discrepancies recorded as both the APNU and others who contested the area conducted themselves in an orderly fashion.
Better Hope
Over at the GECOM sub-office located in Better Hope, the APNU and PPP again showed up on time to present their respective lists. While only about six persons from the ruling APNU turned up to give support to those presenting their lists, the PPP supporters numbered close to 40 as they backed their leaders.
APNU’s leader of the list, Shanika Hayne, holding the envelope and other candidates
Head of the PPP candidate list for the Better Hope/LBI LGAA, Zaman Shaw, said his party was confident of a resounding victory as he explained that the persons presented to face the electorate on the PPP list were tested and tired, and in some instances newly minted people who were passionate and dedicated to community service.
Meanwhile, the head of the APNU’s list of candidates, Shanika Hayne, also exhumed confidence. She said her coalition party understood the needs of the Better Hope/LBI district and wanted an opportunity to serve the people in order to assist them in attaining real development.
Supporters of the PPP at Enmore
Lusignan
This enthusiasm and excitement continued over at Lusignan where party stalwarts from the APNU were busy submitting their list of candidates ahead of their competitors.
Speaking with Guyana Times over at the Lusignan Community Centre building where the NDC office is located, the leader of the APNU list of candidates, Andrew Weekes explained the party was only contested two areas with the LGAA.
“We have a list of qualified and legal persons. We have submitted and they have accepted our list. The process was smooth. We are confident as we are only competing in constituencies Nine and Seven,” he remarked.
APNU’s leader of the list Andrew Weekes and other candidates after presenting their list on Thursday
But that was not the case for the PPP whose party list leader explained they were competing in all areas and had candidates ready to campaign following the nomination day proceedings.
“We have nine constituency candidates and 29 Proportional Representation candidates… we have consulted extensively and we have a mixture of youth and experience as well as a balanced list as far as gender is concerned,” Mohammed reported.
In this area, the party also had a majority of its candidates present and the music from its sound system was still ‘banging’ as the PPP Lusignan list was being presented.
Enmore
Additionally, a small group of persons congregated at Enmore in support of the APNU as they watched the process from the sideline, while the PPP officials were first to present their list.
When Guyana Times arrived, the PPP party stalwarts were awaiting their comrades in the cool as the blistering mid-morning sun took its toll on all those who dared to stand up to it.
PPP Executive and former Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony lauded the process, explaining that he is confident that his party would win almost all, if not all of the seats, up for grabs in the LGAA within his district.
He commended the residents for their hard work and explained that local governance was about giving ordinary folk, the opportunity to service and be heard. Dr Anthony said he was pleased with the progress made under the PPP within the community but he expected much more to be done to realise their overall mandate of building better communities.
Similarly, the APNU representatives at the Enmore GECOM Sub-Office were upbeat and confident despite their small numbers. The party was represented by Pastor Claude Smith and school teacher Marcia Gordon who briefly expressed confidence in the coalition’s ability to make inroads in the various areas it was contesting.
No major discrepancies or problems were reported at other areas along the coast, including Buxton/Annandale, and Nabaclis.
