The Opposition, People’s Progressive Party (PPP), is urging President David Granger to use his parliamentary address on Thursday to address the impending socioeconomic calamity, stating that Guyana is in a crisis of confidence brought about by the change of Government in May 2015.
Speaking at his party’s weekly press conference on Monday, PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee declared that there is a crisis of confidence in Guyana and urged citizens to oppose the retrogressive developments for the country’s future.
He said that the “crisis of confidence” is manifest in the fact that Guyanese no longer believe that the future of Guyana under the Granger-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government will bring the “good life” promised by President Granger on the campaign trail.
“There is a pervasive national sentiment that the Granger Administration is clueless, incompetent and in a state of drift,” Rohee declared.
He said that the problems of Guyana lie in the “militaristic- command-style” rule by the APNU/AFC, which has dampened the spirit and morale of the working people, the small entrepreneurs, the established business community, and the farming community.
“Political instability, a lack of understanding of the Guyanese business culture…the absence of developmental-inspired initiatives, the lack of predictability and uncertainty in the future; poor understanding and appreciation of the socioeconomic attributes of vulnerable groups such as the Amerindian communities and the impact of misguided socioeconomic policies on their livelihoods have all contributed to the crisis of confidence,” Rohee stated.
He said that Guyanese were worried about their lives and future, adding that every social strata of the Guyanese population has lost confidence in the future of the sector in which they work and live.
Rohee said that a spirit of malaise has enveloped the nation, with the productive sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing declining and the business community reeling as a result of a decline in the Guyanese spirit of hard work, due to the uncertainty that exists in the country.
He added that the marginal electoral victory of the APNU/AFC in May 2015 does not give it the right to reverse economic, social and cultural gains won by the nation under his party’s leadership: “Guyanese must unite and fight together with the PPP to preserve these gains and to win back; through Parliamentary and extra-Parliamentary struggles, a Government of their choice; through free and fair elections supervised by a reformed Gecom and reformed electoral process.
The APNU/AFC Government has promised that it will take time before the benefits of the impact of its economic policies are trickled down to the citizens.
