Pastors launch political party

The People’s Republic Party (PRP), which calls itself a political organisation established on and governed by godly principles, was launched yesterday with a pledge by the Christian leaders at its helm to lead the country away from the path of corruption towards it best years.

Dr. Valerie Leung, a pastor and senior lecturer at the University of Guyana, who was selected by the party’s members to be its Presidential Candidate, told the launch at the Ocean View Hotel at Liliendaal that corruption is to blame for Guyana’s stagnation in spite of its abundant resources.

“Guyana is plagued by corruption. No country can get past this mud hole,” Dr. Leung said. “The political leaders are elected to look after our best interests but they only look after theirs,” she added. She further noted that corrupt leaders are often helped by good people, such as the churches which remain silent, but she added that believes that with honest, moral people who are God fearing and watchmen of justice at the helm, Guyana could progress from being a third world country corrupted by false promises.

Dr. Leung assured that the PRP will not be a ploy to entice people to vote. Instead, she said it will be pursuing what it believes can be done for the nation in five years, including job creation, economic development, and diversifying the economy.

On the latter point, she emphasised that the country cannot put all its eggs into the “oil basket,” particularly due to the contracts that have already been agreed. “We must not abandon our agriculture and mining bases. Our natural resources must be prioritised as well and Guyanese should get their fair share for these resources,” she added.

Dr. Leung also said that the party intends to mend the sugar industry, not end it. She noted, too, that she is saddened by the dismantling of sugar estates and of how the vestiges are being sold as scrap iron. She added that rice farmers deserve better drainage and irrigation for rice areas.

Dr. Leung also made mention of how shameful it is that people have to go to newspapers and beg for financial aid when seeking medical attention abroad, while politicians fly out on private planes for medical attention. Against this background, she noted that the party has a vision for the upgrade of the country’s hospitals and for healthcare to be available in all parts of Guyana, especially the rural areas.

She further said they will work towards ensuring drinkable water being provided by the Guyana Water Incorporated, options for better and equitable education (ensuring that education in Georgetown would not be superior to that which is delivered in the interior) and development in rural areas. She also mentioned the need for reliable electricity around the clock as the current unreliable sources discourage persons from wanting to invest in the country. She indicated that the party favours using oil revenues to fund some of the plans for infrastructural development.

It was also noted that in light of the party’s religious views, the party would preserve the definition of marriage as being a union of a biological man and a biological woman and would not recognise rights to gender fluidity.

While their vision for the country is clear, Dr. Leung and other members yesterday stated that they have not made a plan for implementation but assured that the party would ensure that no promise goes unexecuted.

In closing, Dr. Leung said that because the party has not yet gotten the minimum number of candidates, it is asking persons who believe in its vision for the country to join.