Outlining Change Guyana (CG)’s ‘abridged’ manifesto, “Agenda For Economic Development”, the party’s Presidential Candidate, Robert Badal told media operatives this morning at the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston Georgetown, that March 2 will be a defining moment in Guyana’s history, where the citizens will be presented with the opportunity to truly make a change.
He said that the party’s manifesto will help to correct the wrongs that were done during the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and People’s National Congress (PNC) administrations.
“Our manifesto brings a new level of strategic thinking; it outlines a more balanced development – regional development, not only in Georgetown – it focuses on job creation and wealth creation because we feel that we cannot expand the pie that everyone is fighting for, unless we create wealth. You cannot distribute unless you create that wealth, and that has been the failure of successive PPP and PNC administrations,” he said.
The Presidential Candidate said that it is against this “background” that the party manifesto was created.
Badal noted: “[Change is needed] to arrest the economic decline and social decay that has escalated crime, joblessness, hopeless among our youths, and massive migration. The spiraling web of corruption, mismanagement, and incompetence and failed leadership has kept our people poor.”
He said that the manifesto is a list of deliverables, which the party will be judged on should it secure a win at the polls.
Outlining the principles upon which the manifesto is based, Badal said that the party was able to think through the “problems of today” and come up with “pragmatic, practical solutions”. He said that the document is based on several issues that affect the lives of Guyanese.
He added that the manifesto also focuses on “good governance” by ensuring that value is achieved from every taxpayer dollar spent.
“All through post-independence, we’ve seen the failure to receive value. We’ve seen crumbling infrastructure even though at least 30 to 40 percent of our budget every year is for infrastructure – yet our port facilities, our communications infrastructure, they’re all below par,” the businessman said.
The manifesto, Badal said, also entails mechanisms to remove ministerial discretion that facilitates abuse of office. The document also supports youth development, crime and healthcare. It also ensures accountability, transparency and respect for the rule of law, and constitutional reform.
“So, these are the ingredients of our manifesto and our economic plan going forward to achieve a better live for all Guyanese,” he said.
The manifesto can be found here: https://changeguyana.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CG-Manifest-Final-Digital.pdf
