APNU Presidential Candidate Aubrey Norton on Sunday addressed supporters in Melanie on the East Coast of Demerara and said it was time to take back the country from the hands of the corrupt.

“We are saying to you, we will govern with integrity. We will govern will honesty,” Norton assured.

Promising to lead the country to prosperity and unity, Mr. Norton said Guyana remains a divided nation due to “discriminatory practices” employed by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). He vowed to change those practices.

“A lot of the disunity occurs because this government allocates the resources of this country in a discriminatory way. They have different strokes for different folks. But we say to you, you will be treated equally. We say to you, we care, and therefore, we will share. The patrimony of this country belongs to the people of Guyana, and you the people of Guyana, under the APNU will share in the resources of this country,” Norton said.

Directing his attention to the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force, Norton said while the men and women in uniform continue to serve the country, the PPP/C Administration has failed to prepare them for life after the military and the Police Force. 

“I say to you in the army, I say to you in the Guyana Police Force, an APNU government will ensure that while you serve as policemen and soldiers, you will be trained in other skills, so after service, you can be of use to this country,” he said.

Norton said some of the most disciplined people are found in the Defence Force and the Police Force, and he will ensure that they serve Guyana well.

He said under the PPP/C regime, the Police Force is being used to serve and protect the rich but he assured that no such thing will happen under his leadership.

“We have to end this situation where the Guyana Police Force has been become a tool of the PPP and the elite in this country. Why do you believe so many of them in the PPP believe they could rape? Why do you believe they could put bounty on people’s heads, they do that because they know because they are in charge of a corrupt police force that will serve their interest. We will bring an end to that,” Norton said.

Norton – a political scientist and former Foreign Service Officer – said just like the former Deputy Commissioner of Police, Paul Williams, whose career was brought to an abrupt end when the PPP/C took office in 2020, his service as a Foreign Service Officer was terminated in 1992 when the PPP/C entered Government. 

Contending that since 1992, there has been a decline in Foreign Service in Guyana, Norton assured that should he be elected President of Guyana, he will ensure Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are safeguarded.

“Critical to Guyana is the Essequibo, and the Essequibo is under threat. We don’t have a big military to defend the Essequibo but we have always had people with brains in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that can negotiate and do diplomacy to ensure that we are secured. I don’t know how on earth, Irfaan can negotiate with anybody or defend anybody, the boy can’t even talk…But I say to you, we are going to restore the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that it can protect our territorial integrity,” Norton said.

According to the Presidential Candidate, an APNU Government under his leadership will mobilize support for Guyana, and give leadership on the international stage through the development of a professional foreign service.

He also told supporters of his plans to deliver better infrastructure, provide affordable housing including financing for repairs and construction, advance agriculture development, increase job opportunities, and bring down the high cost of living, while creating a conducive environment for businesses to flourish.

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