RECENTLY, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton continued his campaign-styled Town Hall meetings in Canada, where he met with members of the Guyanese Diaspora. He was accompanied this time by Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul, and PNC/R Executive Mervyn Williams.
Norton, seeking to update the meeting on developments in Guyana, said the country was in crisis. He alleged that there was no democracy. The opposition leader said that there was poor governance, and the government was incompetent as far as the management of infrastructure projects and the oil and gas sector were concerned. He further alleged that there was widespread corruption and racial discrimination at the hands of the Ali Administration.
Norton told the group in Canada that the Guyana Police Force was a political tool for the oppression of the enemies of the PPP/C administration. He even alleged that the Police Commissioner (ag), Clifton Hicken was openly campaigning for the PPP. Taking his message further, Norton said the holders of Constitutional Offices here were out campaigning politically for the PPP.
He alleged that poverty was on the increase, and that the current government had no measures to deal with it. He said that the government, if it had cut the waste, could pay the public servants a 35 per cent increase, and that his government plans to give schoolchildren two hot meals per day, should it win the next election.
He criticised the education sector matriculation rates, stating that the government was allegedly incompetent and not getting to the bottom of the problem eating away at the fabric of education in Guyana.
He said that the former APNU+AFC government, during the period 2015 – 2020, promoted racial unity and togetherness. Norton told the group there were no reports of racial hostility and discrimination during that time. He even alleged that Guyana was not experiencing blackouts at the time, and the Police was solving crimes unlike now.
The opposition leader said that, “Street protests are not the best options” at this time. He boldly added that the PPP government was “paying young Afro-Guyanese to beat Indians”, then blame it on the APNU+AFC opposition. He said that the PPP/C wanted conflict between races, but did not rule out protests, once they would achieve the desired goals.
The opposition leader said more, along with the usual rants and political cuss-out of Mahipaul and Williams.
Firstly, it comes as no surprise that the opposition leader and his hand-picked minions would seek to launch a campaign of mistruths, lies, misinformation, and half-way facts to the Guyanese Diaspora in Canada. They have been doing so since 2020 when this PPP government came to power after fighting for democracy and against rigged elections for five long months.
The opposition leader now wants to go to Canada, and everywhere where they would have him, to paint a poor picture of Guyana. Norton cannot be so foolish as to think that he or anyone of his opposition members could walk away without members fact-checking them. After all, this is the age of social media and the Internet.
Norton lied at least 40 times when he delivered his analysis of the situation in Guyana. Norton twisted the truth at least 50 times when he sought to update the Guyanese Diaspora in Canada. He deceived the audience 20 times while speaking, trying hard to play on the people’s sympathies and emotions.
To give an example of Norton’s deception, one must look and listen to his speech carefully. He said that constitutional office holders and the Acting Commissioner of Police were out campaigning for the PPP/C. Lies.
There is no constitutional office holder engaged in any political campaigning. The PPP would make the person resign before they make the move. He lied again on the Acting Commissioner, who has done no wrong except serve his country by making sure the country has security and is able to fight crime.
The opposition leader said that poverty was on the increase, but failed to give a detailed or precursory explanation. By how much has it increased? During which years? How many people are living below the poverty line in Guyana, and how many in extreme poverty? This is a politician that wants to lead Guyana?
According to the World Bank Country Report of 2020, “Guyana has experienced a decline in poverty over the past decade from 60.9 per cent in 2006 to 48.4 per cent in 2019, using a poverty line of US$5.50 per day in 2011… While the oil and non-oil economy has grown enormously since 2020, recent data to monitor progress in poverty reduction is not available.”
Norton has to stop lying, and present the facts or inconvenient truth.
Secondly, in his attempt to sound grounded and academic, he said the APNU+AFC promoted national unity and togetherness. Yes, in slogans, and not in practical terms. The years 2015 – 2020 August saw more than 7,000 sugar workers losing their jobs, and left 45000 people without a back-up plan.
It saw countless demonstrations by teachers, nurses and public servants for better wages. It experienced the highest taxation rates when the government strangled the population. Ethnic and race relations were at its poorest in a decade, leaving Guyana on the cusp of ethnic explosion because of the repressive policies of the government at the time.
So, Norton lied; the ERC knows that Norton lied.
As for the state of GPL, that would take a whole column to explain the many things that were allowed to take place during the years of APNU+AFC rulership. It is simply not true that Guyanese did not experience blackouts then.
And, Norton told an even bigger lie when he spoke to the countable audience in Canada. In 2024, the Guyana Government allocated approximately $100.5 billion to the education sector. This includes $4.1 billion for the University of Guyana, and $4 billion for the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) programme.
The fact remains that education is constantly climbing the ladder of success in Guyana, and access to education is improving at a fast rate. The government is continuously improving students’ performance at the exams, but there are challenges. Norton’s explanation for the matriculation rates in education is hogwash, and requires an intellectual analysis if it were to be properly explained.
Thirdly, Norton’s utterances that the PPP government pays Afro-Guyanese to beat up Indo-Guyanese are as appalling as they are untrue. Where’s the evidence? This is a serious matter, and must not be taken lightly by the PPP and the PPP/C administration. Also, the ERC must demand from Norton an explanation, because he is not saying this in Parliament, where he has the privileges and immunity.
He is saying that the PPP uses Africans to beat up Indians, so as to cause ethnic conflict for political benefit. This is most irresponsible and reprehensible. And, without any evidence.
Norton must think the Guyanese Diaspora is foolish, and trying hard to justify his disgraceful and dark reign over the PNC and APNU+AFC opposition. Surely, he lied through his teeth. He can’t mobilise a proper protest, but relies on sell-out politicians posing as trade union representatives to do so.
Furthermore, no one has any respect for Norton’s leadership, since he allegedly rigged the internal elections of the party and handpicked the PNC Executive.
Finally, almost everything that was said in Canada amounted to lies and deception by the opposition leader and his band of merry men. This is the modus operandi of Norton’s party and his politics; he can’t convince the people right here in Guyana of the nonsense he is talking, so he goes abroad to spread his propaganda and wave of misinformation.
When MPs and politicians go abroad and engage supporters in the Diaspora, they are responsible ambassadors of truth.
They must not seek to swindle the people of the Diaspora with these fake tales of life in Guyana, and sell these stories of a make- believe dictatorship. Talk the truth and shame the devil.
Norton, Mahipaul and Williams must be somewhere hanging their heads in shame and disgrace, sucking air through a straw in the gutter of politics. Why lie when more than half of our population has access to Google and know how to use it?
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Democracyguyana, an online newspaper.