A PARTNERSHIP FOR NATIONAL UNITY + ALLIANCE FOR CHANGE COALITION MANIFESTO ELECTIONS 2015 CONTENTS MESSAGES ........................................................................................ 4 APNU+AFC ACTION PROGRAMME FOR THE FIRST 100 DAYS .................................... 8 HEALING, RECONCILIATION AND A MODERN DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY .......................... 9 1. PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COALITION ......................................... 10 2. DIAGNOSIS ................................................................................... 11 3. GOOD GOVERNANCE ........................................................................ 14 2 APNU+AFC CONTENTS 4. EMPLOYMENT MAXIMISATION, INEQUALITY AND POVERTY REDUCTION .................. 22 5. PRODUCTION TRANSFORMATION AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION ..................... 26 6. SOCIAL INTEGRATION, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND YOUTH ................................... 34 7. CRIME REDUCTION, PERSONAL, PUBLIC AND TERRITORIAL SECURITY ...................... 44 ANNEX ........................................................................................... 47 MANIFESTO 3 MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ONE NATION The record rates of arson, armed robbery, murders, suicides, road fatalities, illiteracy, unemployment, The principal objective of this Manifesto is to lay trafficking in persons and trafficking in narcotics have the foundation for establishing a government of made our country a pariah state in this hemisphere. national unity and democratic renewal as our country Happy people do not kill themselves; happy people th approaches its 50 anniversary of independence in do not kill their wives and one another. Guyana has 2016 and beyond. become an unhappy country under the PPP. Representatives of A Partnership for National Unity The PPP, worse still, has divided our nation. It offers and the Alliance for Change signed the historic favours to its favourites but inflicts unbearable burdens Cummingsburg Accord which has combined the on the masses of housewives, public servants, working energies of six political parties in a pre-election people, paddy-farmers, fisher-folk and students. coalition for the first time in Guyana’s political history. We – the Alliance For Change; Guyana Action Party; The APNU+AFC Coalition is the boldest step taken in Justice For All Party; National Front Alliance; People’s six decades to replace political hostility with unity; National Congress Reform and Working People’s confrontation with cooperation; dictatorship with Alliance – shall together lead the majority of citizens democracy. The Coalition has chosen hope over who struggle daily against disunity and against a despair and faith over fear. This Manifesto promises dictatorial government and who seek a good life in Guyanese: this, the land of their birth. • An education system that will produce citizens APNU and AFC are assured that, in the campaign of quality who will be happy to remain here at for the 2015 general and regional elections, the home to build our great and beautiful country; a overwhelming majority of Guyanese – young and old, system that will extend access to the information rich and poor, women and men in all ten administrative superhighway to support the education of our regions and in the diaspora – want to win. They want young people. to improve their quality of life. They want to remove • Employment opportunities in science, the oppressive and undemocratic People’s Progressive technology, engineering, mining, agro-processing Party Civic administration from office. and the arts to provide jobs and promote APNU and AFC have come together in this democratic economic growth. coalition because the nation is at breaking point. • An empowerment policy that regularly Guyanese have been fatigued by two decades of fickle renews local democracy by ensuring that local promises, fatuous platitudes and failed projects. Our government elections are held – as is stipulated young people demand jobs, not jails and drop-in in our Constitution – so that our villages, towns centres; our women and children demand safe homes and neighbourhoods are well-governed. not ‘safe-houses;’ our fishermen and miners demand • An energy policy that utilizes our wind, water protection from pirates and bandits; our paddy farmers and solar resources to provide cheap, renewable and businessmen demand fairness and our hinterland electricity to Guyanese in our urban, rural, riverine regions demand development not goodies, gifts and and hinterland communities. grants. • An enterprise and economic development The People’s Progressive Party has dragged this policy that provides a level playing field for country to the pit of the human development index. 4 APNU+AFC local entrepreneurs and investors and our huge The APNU+AFC coalition is a visionary combination of diaspora to develop our abundant resources. political and social forces that will ensure that a real • A social policy that will harness and develop government of national unity emerges, not a bogus the creative energies of our people and that will civic alliance; that our multi-ethnic, multicultural support the holistic development of our athletes society provides a place for all citizens to prosper; that and young people. our people – regardless of their gender, geographic location, class, creed or ethnic origin – enjoy a good • A security policy that protects our citizens and life; that an environment which is free from the ravages our territory, allowing Guyanese to feel safe as of poverty and discrimination, and from the scourge they go about their daily lives. of criminal violence, epidemic disease and ignorance is created and that information and communications This APNU+AFC Coalition’s Manifesto prescribes a technology is extended to all corners of our great unified approach to bring an end to the cronyism at country. high levels that is a drain on our financial resources The APNU+AFC coalition is actually more than six and is blocking our development; to crime, that is parties. It has already become a national movement bleeding the lives and bodies of our women and for transformation. The whole is greater than the sum youths and scaring away investors; to corruption in of all its parts. The momentum that the coalition has the law-enforcement and regulatory agencies in the generated is evidence of the people’s satisfaction mining and forestry sectors and to constitutional and their desire for change. United, we stand a better abuse by the President, Cabinet and executive branch chance to fulfil our destiny. Divided, we fall victims to of the government. the tactics of the PPP which could return to office. This Manifesto promises a bright future for all. We assure all Guyanese - but most especially our women, youth, children and senior citizens - that we shall work towards ensuring that we all have a good life. David Granger Presidential Candidate APNU+AFC Coalition MANIFESTO 5 6 APNU+AFC MESSAGE FROM PRIME MINISTERIAL CANDIDATE On March 4, at the Media Launch of our 2015 The APNU+AFC Coalition is not lured by the glitz and Campaign, I stated that there is need for a new wave dazzle of new promises. Our Coalition has put into in our democracy, to inject life into our decaying place a real programme that would bring relief to political system by taking Guyana along the road to towns and villages, the hinterland and Indigenous multi-party, multi-ethnic, national rule. But of equal communities, and to maximize the role of our women importance to political union by APNU+AFC are and youth in social development. plans and programmes for investment, growth and development of a new Guyana. The success of our plans depends on genuine partnership between state and investors, and with This Manifesto outlines these plans and is a composite trade unions and workers. There must be a new day of what our several parties and civil partners want for for both business and labour. Government cannot do Guyana as a stimulant to our mismanaged economy. it alone. We also need partnership with international The aim of your new government is to create jobs, jobs donors to boost grants to deal with the problems of and more jobs in the shortest time possible. Our young hunger, homelessness and disease. people cannot wait “five more years” for jobs for which they could be adequately trained and could get better I commend this Manifesto for your scrutiny and pay and greater job satisfaction. The political reforms approval. It may not have all that you want to see, that our new government hopes to put in place would or everything that you wish to achieve. But we be meaningless without an economic turn-around. are making a new beginning to address the major So, in some ways, this Manifesto is a new economic problems. The APNU+AFC “Team Unity” offers you this recovery package. plan, this vision and, together, we can make it work in our beloved Guyana. It is time! However, no plans or programmes can succeed without two ingredients. These are: the broadest participation Moses V. Nagamootoo of our people in the governance processes, and a Prime Ministerial Candidate vision that is realistic and has achievable goals. APNU+AFC Coalition This is why our Manifesto not only addresses the challenges in the major productive sectors, but also explores potential for a new economy by projecting our vision for economic growth, not for a single term, but to 2030 and beyond. Our Manifesto emphasizes prudent monetary and fiscal administration, to cut out waste and extravagance and limit borrowing.