Why APNU/AFC’s term in office has been an abysmal failure

Dear Editor,
By any major measure, APNU has been a failure. Here are a few instances:
1. Drained disposable income of the populace by extracting a 50 per cent increase in taxation over the 2015 to 2018 period. The implementation of over 200 tax measures has seen annual tax revenue at $200 billion in 2018, vs $135 billion in 2014, a whopping 65 billion increase on the backs of the populace. Small wonder the average man is feeling the squeeze.
2. Stifled and scared-away investment. With almost four years since the coalition came to power, not a single major private or public investment project has materialised. Instead, the APNU is simply reaping the benefits of investment projects and financing arranged by the PPP Government. From Exxon to the Cheddi Jagan airport, to the new gold mines, manganese mines, bauxite mines – all of these were arranged by the PPP. All new investment has stalled due to the bureaucracy and ineptitude of this APNU/AFC Government. Had APNU not scuttled the Amaila Falls project, a total of US$850 million would have been invested in Guyana and 165 Megawatts of power would have been available this year into the grid at 10 cents per kilowatts. Instead, the country faces blackouts. Nationalisation of the Berbice Bridge is yet another example and, of course, the derailing of the speciality hospital by awarding the contract to a client of an AFC Government Minister.
3. Abandoned, ignored of reneged on every major promise made in the APNU/AFC manifesto. Instead of inclusionary policies, measures to improve prosperity, good governance, improving accountability and transparency and zero corruption, the APNU/AFC has ignored each of these. Their performance has been the exact opposite. No wonder the populace is fed-up.
4. Draining of foreign reserves and gold reserves by over US$400 million and incurring an overdraft with the Central Bank (illegal) of over US$250 million. As if increased taxation was not enough.
5. The populace has lost confidence. Just look at the Local Government Elections (LGE) results. A whopping landslide win for PPP with 61 per cent of the votes vs 34 per cent for APNU and 4 per cent for the AFC.
6. Loss of no-confidence vote in Parliament following Charrandas Singh voting with the Opposition in protest of closing the sugar estates and ignoring the plight of the sugar workers.
The evidence of the abysmal failure of APNU/AFC is clear. The Parliament and the public have lost confidence in the APNU/AFC coalition Government. Elections must be held in accordance with the Constitution. Elections must be held now.

Sincerely,
A Grant