Former PNCR Parliamentarian and Coalition member, Mr Aubrey Norton today expressed astonishment at the new Housing Minister’s declared intention to not honour hundreds of housing contracts signed with Guyanese citizens under a 50% discount program instituted by the former coalition government.
There has been wide concern that reneging on contractual agreements will mean an inability to trust any future Guyanese government. Investors, whether they be local or foreign can only now plan on a five year cycle as demographics indicate that populations of supporters for both parties are very close in numbers. If contracts are not honoured today, who is to say that a victorious coalition in 2020 will decide not to honour agreements signed by the current PPPC government. This new development contributes a new risk to investing in Guyana. Diaspora investors have voiced their concern.
In response to the announcement, Aubrey Norton stated, “I am astonished, though not surprised, that the Housing Minister, sworn in on the basis of fraudulent votes, has declared that he will refund monies to persons who paid the 50 percent downpayment for house lots because there is no infrastructure. This position borders on idiocy and is hypocritical.
It should be recalled that the PPPC issued house lots in Farm, Herstelling and other places without water, electricity or proper roads. It was the APNU-AFC government which delivered infrastructural facilities to those areas. It was the APNU-AFC government which strived to ensure that, as far as possible, development of house lots was accompanied by the development of community infrastructure. This was hampered by the lack of a national budget in recent months but that intention was always there. Conversely, it is the PPPC that is known for issuing house lots in areas with no accompanying infrastructure and it is the PPPC that is known for seeing no issue with this. It is therefore ridiculous for the PPPC to hide behind the claim that the absence of infrastructure is the driver for the decision to rescind these houselots. This argument is not only nonsensical but points to the discriminatory nature of this fraudulent regime.
But, let us assume that there is indeed no infrastructure. What prevents this fraudulent government from budgeting for it in the upcoming budget and providing the needed infrastructure like they did in Pradoville 1 and 2? Nothing! Why would the already issued houselots have to be rescinded for further infrastructural development to be undertaken? They don’t!
As always, the PPPC wants to be vindictive and do not care for the Guyanese people. This is a blatant and crass attempt to not give house lots to poor people, to young people, to the ordinary man and woman because they benefited under the APNU-AFC government. This is petty, childish and characteristic of this corrupt cabal that euphemistically calls itself government.
I encourage all Guyanese to resist this ridiculous act by the PPPC and to challenge it in the courts. Every citizen who was awarded a house lot and made the requisite downpayment should have received a receipt and agreement. Maintain those records and use them to challenge this illegal move the PPPC.
It is claimed that, in at least one case, the PPPC intends to sell swaths of the rescinded land to a big businessman who supports the PPPC, who will then sell it to the ordinary man at exorbitant prices and further enrich himself at the expense of poor Guyanese people. This move will be opposed at every turn.
The PPPC is already manifesting that it has no interest in the small man and the people of Guyana generally, regardless of race, gender, age, or any other demographic. Their interest is enriching the PPPC corrupt, fraudulent cabal and its cronies. This will not go unchallenged!
Guyana belongs to all Guyanese, no matter who they are, what they look like, which God they pray to or which political party they support. That is my belief. It is the position of the party that I support and so we will fight for equity, fairness and development that reaches and benefits Guyana and all of her peoples.”