latest news, Press Release Tone deaf! Politically tone deaf November 18, 2016 admin Leave a comment Tone deaf! Politically tone deaf. Nationalistically tone deaf. Patriotically tone deaf. That is how the United Republican Party (URP) wishes to describe both the PPP and the PNC-Coalition. They would have to be tone deaf to the whaling cries of the Guyanese people in order for them to govern the way they do. They practice policies that have retarded this country for 50 years. How can the Granger administration set up the Cabinet in the Camp Ayangana compound and not expect the Opposition and the supporters of the current administration to say that they are a military government? After President Granger looked under every nook and cranny to find every aged, retired, military buddy of his, to do his bidding – commission of enquiries, state boards, consultancies, security etc. And after he placed his name (or allowed it to be placed) on all his pictures in the public domain as, ‘Brigadier David Granger’ (he is NOT the Brigadier any more) – he has now moved his cabinet to the headquarters of the Army! And he does not expect anyone to question his judgment. It just proves that both Mr. Granger and his advisors must be nationalistically and politically tone deaf. President Burnham did the same sorts of things. He (Burnham) used the Army to seize people’s flour and English potatoes and imported oil. He also used the Army to take away people’s bread and break up their bread stands. The Army was also used to succor the man accused of killing Walter Rodney and fly him out the country. One would have taught that as an astute Historian, President Granger would have strayed and stayed far away from all the nonsensical reflections of a vicious, autocratic, Burnhamite, era. One would have thought that after partnering with the AFC and their mostly PPP (Indian) supporters, commonsense would have pointed them away from any opportunity for the Jagdeo klan to develop “red-meat”. You would have taught that Granger – if only because he seemed so magnanimous at first – would have been willing to shun such buffoonery. One would have taught that winning by such a slight margin, the Coalition would have sought ways to garner additional supporters. But alas…! Doesn’t President Granger know that the word on the street is that his is an old, militarized, administration? Ask the likes of James Bond, or Lincoln Lewis or Sharma Solomon – all supporters of the Coalition – and they would tell you. But maybe the Administration is indeed too tone deaf to hear. Now, on top of that, they Administration is pushing a bill through Parliament to give Hamilton Green more money. These SAME people, who just fought the PSU and the TSU over salary increase: increases which they promised the young working class while in they were in the political wilderness (opposition). Now the Granger administration is pushing to give 80 year-old Hammi, more money. If this is not the epitome nationalistic and political tone deafness, what it? Of course they have to do this for Hammi because when they gave themselves that big multi-thousand dollars, retroactive salary increase, Hammi did not get his. Guyanese have been groomed by the two major political parties to think that they do not have options. The AFC came along and got some tacit support from the electorate. However, they have now joined and morphed into the PNC and the Guyanese people are the worse off for it. The United Republican Party is confident that if Guyana will ever move forward in any significant and meaningful way, the totalitarian powers of these two parties have to be reduced. For the sake of our Country and for the betterment of our children and grand children, we have to ensure that we do what it takes to never again allow any party to win majority control of the government. The Country has stagnated and when it is moving, it is moving in the wrong direction. Both the PPP and the PNC/Coalition are completely tone deaf to the needs of the citizens and particularly the working class of this Country. It is time we begin to speak with one voice. Maybe then they will hear us. The URP stands ready to help.
latest news, Latest Posts, Press Release Carnage on the roadways continues to mount November 1, 2016 admin Leave a comment Mr. David Granger! Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan! You have to start taking away people’s Drivers Licenses! The carnage on the roadways continues to mount. And there seems to be no abatement in sight. Many folks, especially visitors, returning Guyanese, or those from the rural areas, are morbidly afraid to drive on our roads. There is this sick and deadly notion that “If you can drive in Guyana, you can drive anywhere else in the world”. Given the prevalence of accidents and deaths on our roadways, the United Republican Party (URP) would like to proffer a few suggestions. For starters, we think that the police are still inclined to taking bribes from errant motorists and there is no end in sight for this behavior. This is learnt behavior. The current administration has been paying themselves some $300,000 extra per month. And their argument is that it they don’t pay themselves this exorbitant amount of money, they are likely to thief. So this additional hundreds of thousands of dollars is to reduce their likelihood of stealing. The police officers (and the criminals, which matter we will address at another time), understand EXACTLY what the politicians mean. What the Granger administration means, is that if you are not properly awarded for your honest labor, it is likely that you will steal. So what we are seeing on the roadways is a largely lawless driving population, propelled and empowered by the notion that all it takes to continue in their dangerous was, is a bribe to any police who intercepts them. And the police will take the bribe because the unethical precedent for subsidizing one’s income has been set by the new administration. The URP would like to make the following recommendation in an effort to reduce traffic accidents. We are suggesting that a Drivers License point-system be immediately introduced. This is standard in all developed countries. The process is simple and effective. All Drivers Licenses are assigned 100 points. Comparatively, all traffic violations are assigned a negative (minus) point value. For instance, 1. Driving past pedestrians while they are on the pedestrian crossing, – minus 30 points 2. Blowing your horn in a quiet zone, – minus 10 points 3. Driving while above the alcohol limit, – minus 70 points 4. Driving through a red light, – minus 30 points 5. Speeding in a congested area, – minus 20 points 6. Causing an accident while over the alcohol limit, – minus 80 points, etc. Additionally, there should be cases where the law allows for a person’s Drivers License to be suspended or indeed, forfeited, for certain kinds of traffic violations, such as causing death while over the alcohol limit. Also, the drivers Licenses of repeat violators of the traffic laws, should be suspended or forfeited. Of course, a precipitous monetary penalty is attached to all the violations. If the Honorable Minister Ramjattan and the Granger administration are indeed concerned about the loss of life and limb on the Guyana roadways, we should see the immediate implementation of some form of these suggestions. What the URP and every Guyanese citizen know, however, is that we will not see any swift implementation of any drastic, commonsensical approach to road safety because many of the Mini busses (whose drivers are some of the worse perpetrators of road accidents), are owned by commissioned military officers and politicians, or people with political contacts. Police officers also depend on “bribes” to supplement their income. These are primarily the reasons for the systemic and endemic lawless road-culture. However, if the Drivers License point-system is implemented and drivers become aware that they can lose their driving privileges, some of them will begin to drive with that realization in mind. And while some police officers will accept bribes and allow some drivers to flaunt the laws, there are other officers (thank God!), who will issue the citations and the deadly driving culture will gradually change for the better. Notwithstanding or limited resources, the United Republican Party stands ready to assist the administration in the implementation of this worthwhile, commonsensical concept. We are offering our support in an effort of helping to save the lives of our fellow Guyanese and to assist in making driving on the Guyana roads more tolerable.