Georgetown: The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and the People’s National Congress (PNC) are two sides of the same coin and Guyana needs true patriots and passionate advocate for competence and integrity in public office.
This is according to the party’s Presidential candidate Businessman Robert Badal during remarks at the formal launch of the political party at Pegasus Hotel Tuesday evening.
Chartered Accountant Nigel Hinds is the Prime Ministerial candidate of the party.
Badal is the proprietor of the Pegasus Hotel and Guyana Stockfeeds Limited and had previously been close to governing coalition partner the Alliance For Change while the Chartered Accountant heads Nigel Hinds Financial Services.
On a mission to ignite economic and social development for the benefit of all Guyanese, Badal said the Guyanese economy is based on basic commodities and job creation will not occur rapidly under the current political culture.
“Since independence the roles of the game had been set by two political groups, each mirror the other like two sides of the same coin, they are both ethnically dominated, controlled by a few, make rules that benefit themselves and their friends, the wider members of their group are mere cheerleaders, the rest of us have to struggle to make ends meet,” Badal said.
He said that such a consequence is that people flee Guyana’s shores and the country’s development is not for the want of skills since Guyanese youths are the brightest in the region as can be seen with the recent win of the Albert Einstein award in Dubai.
Adding that the two largest parties in Guyana are responsible for its current state, Badal said the task ahead with be daunting, “but with many hands and hard work, we hope to prove ourselves as being worthy of the electorates vote.”
“To the youths we are on your side every step of the way to secure your future, your future is our country’s future,” Badal said.
He noted: “With abundant natural and other resources Guyana remains among the poorest in the region with per capita income of just under US$4,000 per annum. What a contrast with Trinidad at over US$19,000, Barbados of over US$17,000, Antigua at over US$16,000 and little St Kitts at over US$18,000. The crying question is why? Why? The frequent promises of us realizing our potential exist only in long speeches of Government officials,” Badal said.
He explained that the party aims to build a strong, resilient, vibrant and open economy based on strong democratic principles, economic transformation, and social inclusion, that provides equal opportunities for all and remove the sense of hopelessness particularly among our youths.
Badal emphasized that sustainable Job creation requires investments to industrialize Guyana using the rich agricultural lands, dense forest and seafood rich coastline, the petroleum resources, bauxite and other mineral resources, the sun, sand and skilled Guyanese labor.
“This is what brings development and create sustainable jobs. For poverty reduction Development through investments must be more balanced, in all regions. Our economy is still largely based on basic commodities, the value and jobs are added in other countries,” he said.
Prime Ministerial candidate Nigel Hinds said Guyana has been straddling and is outperformed by its neighbours in the region and with the massive development occurring in the oil sector, the country must focus on commissioning a national sea defence project.
“We must construct a paved highway from Mabaruma in the Northern Region of Barima Waini to Aishalton in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo, thereby opening our country for trade, social service for our people, digital connectivity and inclusive economic development across our ten regions,” Hinds said.
He explained Barbados, Trinidad and Antigua’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) per capita quadruples Guyana’s even as the country’s natural resources dwarf a combination of countries in the English speaking Caribbean.
“Leadership to boost and accelerate development has failed Guyana… we need the active participation of the electorate as we cannot change the flawed systems alone,” Hinds said.
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