David Granger, a 69 year old, former army general, will be the next president of Guyana, after he led his A Partnership for National Unity ( APNU)/ Alliance For Change (AFC), coalition to a slim (4,606) margin of victory. In the national count, the APNU/AFC received 207, 200 to 202,694 votes ( 50.29%- 49.70%, a margin of only .59%) and thus was allocated 33 seats to 32 seats.
The PPP/C OF Donald Ramotar won 7 of the 10 regions, but Regional 4 was the difference, where APNU/ AFC won by a margin of 113,856- 70,241, a difference of 43,615 votes(Moses Nagamootoo was the other difference). They were in office for over 20 years and had grown stale, inept, with little energy, imagination or ideas, just going through the motion, expecting their usual, loyal constituency ( mainly rural Indo-Guyanese, who are a majority in the country), to come through for them again. There was also a "smell" of corruption floating around them and their continued close association, with former president Jagdeo ( who has been repeatedly accused of corruption), and who was said to be pulling the strings and that Ramotar was a mere front for him, after he stepped down, as required by law, after two terms.
It was not to be and one crucial reason was Moses Nagamootoo, who had left the PPP and joined the APNU/AFC coalition. Moses had been nurtured by the PPP from the early 70s and he had given yeoman service to the party and the country ( he had once said that he would be "nimakram/ungrateful, if he left the party) , but he had grown disenchanted and felt disabused by the party when he was passed over for the leadership in 2011. He felt betrayed by the Jagdeo clique, who could not control him and they, therefore, settled for the unprepared and malleable Ramotar. Moses was the key to the APNU/AFC victory as he siphoned off support from the Indo-Guyanese regions, especially the Berbice/Corentyne areas ( he is from Whim and is well known and liked). He will be suitably rewarded with the position of Prime Minister. Hopefully, he will bring his enormous experience ( he held various ministerial positions in the 20+ years of PPP/C, government) and ability to the new government, and act as a means of reaching out to his "old constituency", and help with the healing, rebuilding and lack of trust . This is most necessary if, Guyana and the new government are to succeed, forge ahead and make a better "living" for the people.
Grainger in his maiden speech to the nation, promise to govern for all. There is a great deal of mistrust and concern, amongst the Indo-Guyanese. who remember too well the hardships, discrimination and sufferings under the 25 years of PNC/ Burnham/ Hoyte regimes, when so many Guyanese of all ethnicities emigrated fro the country. The next 100 days will be crucial. The promises to reduce the toll on the Berbice bridge ( which is so important to the Berbice/ Corentyne economy); to increase the salary of public servants; to reduce the VAT and to remove them from food and other essentials must be done, so as to give the people a belief that the paralysis that had overtaken the Ramotar government would be removed. That, they can trust he government and that the government will govern in the interests of all Guyanese.
The selection of the Cabinet is the important next step. It must be balanced, with the ethnic communities and the regions, properly represented or else there will be resentments and the old wounds will flare up.
Good luck to the new government. Change can be good and hopefully, the Guyanese people have matured enough to understand that change takes time and thus to give the Grainger and Nagamootoo some room to operate.
The PPP/C OF Donald Ramotar won 7 of the 10 regions, but Regional 4 was the difference, where APNU/ AFC won by a margin of 113,856- 70,241, a difference of 43,615 votes(Moses Nagamootoo was the other difference). They were in office for over 20 years and had grown stale, inept, with little energy, imagination or ideas, just going through the motion, expecting their usual, loyal constituency ( mainly rural Indo-Guyanese, who are a majority in the country), to come through for them again. There was also a "smell" of corruption floating around them and their continued close association, with former president Jagdeo ( who has been repeatedly accused of corruption), and who was said to be pulling the strings and that Ramotar was a mere front for him, after he stepped down, as required by law, after two terms.
It was not to be and one crucial reason was Moses Nagamootoo, who had left the PPP and joined the APNU/AFC coalition. Moses had been nurtured by the PPP from the early 70s and he had given yeoman service to the party and the country ( he had once said that he would be "nimakram/ungrateful, if he left the party) , but he had grown disenchanted and felt disabused by the party when he was passed over for the leadership in 2011. He felt betrayed by the Jagdeo clique, who could not control him and they, therefore, settled for the unprepared and malleable Ramotar. Moses was the key to the APNU/AFC victory as he siphoned off support from the Indo-Guyanese regions, especially the Berbice/Corentyne areas ( he is from Whim and is well known and liked). He will be suitably rewarded with the position of Prime Minister. Hopefully, he will bring his enormous experience ( he held various ministerial positions in the 20+ years of PPP/C, government) and ability to the new government, and act as a means of reaching out to his "old constituency", and help with the healing, rebuilding and lack of trust . This is most necessary if, Guyana and the new government are to succeed, forge ahead and make a better "living" for the people.
Grainger in his maiden speech to the nation, promise to govern for all. There is a great deal of mistrust and concern, amongst the Indo-Guyanese. who remember too well the hardships, discrimination and sufferings under the 25 years of PNC/ Burnham/ Hoyte regimes, when so many Guyanese of all ethnicities emigrated fro the country. The next 100 days will be crucial. The promises to reduce the toll on the Berbice bridge ( which is so important to the Berbice/ Corentyne economy); to increase the salary of public servants; to reduce the VAT and to remove them from food and other essentials must be done, so as to give the people a belief that the paralysis that had overtaken the Ramotar government would be removed. That, they can trust he government and that the government will govern in the interests of all Guyanese.
The selection of the Cabinet is the important next step. It must be balanced, with the ethnic communities and the regions, properly represented or else there will be resentments and the old wounds will flare up.
Good luck to the new government. Change can be good and hopefully, the Guyanese people have matured enough to understand that change takes time and thus to give the Grainger and Nagamootoo some room to operate.
