Intellectual opportunism, bankruptcy characterizes APNU+AFC Coalition – Teixeira

The PPP/C Government in 2023 will roll out its transformational agenda, coming after the PNCR-led APNU+AFC Coalition’s incompetence from 2015 to 2020 and an emergency budget in 2020, according to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira.

She made it clear that, unlike the previous APNU+AFC Government, the PPP/C Administration understands the needs of the people and stands ready to meet those needs. Teixeira said, “You come to the house with tainted glasses… because street lights are going up where there weren’t any, roads are going up where there weren’t any, bridges, houses are going up,” the minister pointed out…we have a long way to go, we are a small developing country but we are making progress, and this is under the PPP/C because you took us back in the five years, you took hundreds of thousands from each family with all those taxations you brought to the people.”

In contrast, the Guyanese are treated to “intellectual opportunism” and “intellectual bankruptcy” that characters the PNCR-led Coalition. The minister highlight - ed the $13 billion worth of gold reserve that the PPP/C Administration left, and by 2020 the reserve was less than $200 million. Disappointedly too, the gold was sold when the market price was at the lowest, the minister disclosed. “Mr. Speaker, this is the height of incompetence, the height of irresponsible leadership. You [APNU+AFC] took the two pillars that we have in case of instability… that you can fall back on and they exploited it.”

The audit reports of 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, Minister Teixeira cited, are filled with cases of breaches of the Procurement Act and financial regulations during the APNU+AFC’s tenure. The Public Procurement Commission’s report on the Demerara Harbour Bridge exposed the collusion of a former minister, who cancelled tenders to over 20 foreign companies and awarded the contracts to persons who did not participate in the bidding process, the minister revealed to the house.

Pointing out more “executive lawlessness,” the minister referenced the special Auditor General’s Report tabled in the house titled COVID-19 Pan- demic Assistance Voucher Programme. She highlighted, among other things, the audit report found that persons who needed assistance were denied. Over 9,000 of the 11,000 qualified applicants never received the vouchers and the programme excluded hinterland residents.

Accordingly, the minister made it clear that despite the APNU+AFC repeatedly claiming it met an empty trea- sury, after assuming office in 2015, the PPP/C Government left some $780 million of foreign currency reserves and in 2020 August only US $200 million was available.

She added that the APNU+AFC Coalition persists in its failure to articulate anything that is substantial; rather spews vitriol and misinformation. “It is bad enough that they seem unable to imagine or foresee a better Guyana, but worse yet, they try to undermine efforts,” the Minister said. Teixeira added, “People want to move forward. They don’t want to be dragged into this cauldron into venom and toxicity…but race is all you have.”