Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton today rubbished the Government’s social and economic policies as he addressed protestors gathered outside of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), while President Irfaan Ali was addressing the Parliament.

The Opposition Leader told the protesters that the APNU+AFC Opposition took a decision to boycott today’s Parliamentary sitting to protest the Government’s lopped policies and bring attention to the many crises facing the country.

“Our public demonstration is intended to reemphasize that Guyana remains a country in crisis – a crisis in parliamentary democracy, a crisis in Local Government affairs, a crisis in political relations, a corruption crisis, a transparency and accountability crisis, a law enforcement crisis, and a crisis in terms of the high cost of living, and the poor quality of life experienced daily by most Guyanese citizens,” the Opposition Leader said. 

Backed by a number of Opposition Parliamentarians, Norton said notwithstanding the country’s bountiful resources, including its new found wealth – oil and gas – a substantial number of Guyanese continue to live in poverty, while the Government “pretends all is well.”

“The PPP is either blind and deaf or indifferent and heartless, or incompetent and clueless, or arrogant and elitist or all of the above. We in the Opposition will not play along with the PPP’s deception and pretentions. We will not lose sight of the fact that the entire Guyanese population, in particular the 50 percent and more who voted for us at the 2020 General and Regional Elections continue to look to us to represent their concerns and interests, to defend their rights and freedoms, to restrain the PPP from its excessive and self-centeredness and to present an alternative vision of development with people at the center rather than support the PPP cronyism and wealth to their families, friends and favorites,” the Opposition Leader said.  

He assured those present that the Opposition will continue to fight on behalf of the all the people of Guyana, adding that it will also continue to expose and remedy bad governance, corruption, executive lawlessness and all forms of discrimination. 

Norton said too that the Opposition will continue to demand the easing of the economic burdens on the poor and vulnerable in Guyana that he believes are as a result of the PPP Government’s “mismanagement, corruption, and divisiveness”. 

He noted that through the National Assembly, the Opposition sought to bring attention to the high cost of living and the many issues confronting ordinary Guyanese. He said questions put to the Government have been downplayed, but the Opposition will remain resolute.  

“On the matter of cost of living, let it be noted that the Leader of the Opposition made several proposals to address this matter, all of which the government has ignored: These include: the provision of a salary increase for all government employees, several times higher than the last imposed pay increase; raising of the tax-free threshold to $150,000 per month to put more  money in the hands of the over 200,000 Guyanese workers in the public and private sectors; and the development of agriculture in all regions to reduce the cost of food,” he said. 

Other recommendations included the provision of large grants to help farmers purchase equipment to bring costs down, the distribution of fuel vouchers to farmers, the provision of two hot meals to students, and the establishment of a school transportation network to remove student transportation costs. 

Norton said the “disgraceful” salary increases imposed on public servants and teachers over the past four years are meager when compared to the high inflation Guyanese face daily and the more than 70% plus increases given by the APNU+AFC Government between 2015 and 2020. 

Norton also used today’s platform to bring attention to issues affecting the judiciary, the issue of crime and security, and interference in local government. 

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