|
|
WHY GIVE YOUR SUPPORT TO THE WPA? Dr. Roopnaraine and Bonita Harris - meeting in Parliament. WPA has gained the respect of the nation for twenty years of unwavering opposition to dictatorship, persecution, malpractice, inefficiency, mismanagement, man-made poverty and waste. in these years, it has often proposed well documented policy alternatives. For instance, in a 1982 publication, Try New Ways, we were the first to break with the idea of state domination. In spite of declarations of present and past governments that "the private sector is the engine of growth", private sector stagnation is the order of the day. The private sector remains the pawn of the State, being perceived as a necessary evil instead of being viewed as the nation's main hope for economic prosperity. Why else would inept politicians sideline successful business leaders while they adopt a trial-and-error approach to the management of the nation's reconstruction? Without the means of capital mobilization and without the harnessing of the best local and overseas-based talent available, Guyana will continue to make self-defeating investments and will continue to squander millions of dollars on ill conceived and poorly executed projects. The nation will first stagnate and then regress; limping along behind the better administered countries of Caricom. The WPA is now gathering its team for the general elections with this main patriotic object: to bring an end to the untimely sway of the two parties which directly or indirectly, and to the nation's detriment, have controlled our destiny for the last four decades. Far from being a party of inclusion, the PPP, after a long history of forty-seven years, has an entrenched policy of excluding the finest of Guyana's sons and daughters from its midst. Overseas-based Guyanese who were at the forefront of the international campaign for democracy and who for decades provided critical support for families in Guyana either through cash or via the "Barrel Trade", are viewed as outcasts by the PPP. However, in this election year, the PPP will unashamedly spare no effort in courting overseas Guyanese for financial support. The Civic component of the Government reflects the PPP's constitution "you are not one of us, but we need the gloss you provide". The shine has gone and the tarnished undercoat is there for all to see. Neither the PPP nor the PNC will provide the environment in which all of Guyana's peoples can work together productively. WPA welcomes your energies and expertise. Working with a receptive WPA government which enjoys strong support from all strata of our society, you can be both a catalyst and instrument for real development. The WPA has for years received the respect and the sympathy of moderates in our society. If this mainstream of goodwill can be translated into active, open support, the WPA will certainly capture the necessary votes to permanently change the political, economic and social landscape of our nation. In its twenty years, WPA polices have always reflected the needs of the nation. In the 1970s, we vigorously opposed PNC oppression. In the 1980s, we continued our opposition to dictatorship and were in the forefront of the free and fair election cause which led to the restoration of democracy in 1992. Since that time, the WPA has tried with little success to work with the PPP/Civic government to address the problems of the nation. It must not go unnoticed that the PPP/Chic failed to secure a parliamentary majority in 1992 and it is only through the goodwill and support of the WPA and TUF that the government enjoys the majority in the National Assembly. The WPA has never been accused of corruption, nepotism, lack of imagination, or lack of commitment to Guyana. Nor has it ever been accused of playing radar groups against each other. WPA has been at work from day to day, never closing shop, or going idle until election bells ring. It has always been in season.
Design and Hosted by Saxakali |
