APNU Prime Ministerial Candidate Highlights Hinterland Neglect, Pledges Road Rehabilitation and Greater Carbon Credit Share for Indigenous Peoples
By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) prime ministerial candidate, Juretha Fernandes, has described a grueling seven-hour journey to Maruranau in Deep South Rupununi as symbolic of life in Guyana’s hinterland under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government.
Fernandes recounted that the trip — which should have taken just one to two hours — was plagued by knee-deep mud, stalled buses, and repeated stops for assistance, delaying a scheduled 1:00 p.m. meeting until 7:00 p.m. Upon arrival, she thanked residents for their patience, remarking that if the government ran the country with the same commitment as the villagers, Guyana would not face “broken roads and broken promises.”
She accused the PPP/C of willful neglect, contrasting its $1.3 trillion budget with the APNU’s 2015–2020 term, during which, on a $240 billion budget, works on concrete roads began in Region Nine. Residents told Fernandes that the main access road has been further damaged by heavy trucks operated by Brazilian contractors, while many internal village roads remain impassable.
Fernandes pledged that an APNU government would rehabilitate and maintain hinterland roads, prioritizing contracts for local workers. She also outlined key manifesto promises, including allocating 50% of carbon credit revenues directly to indigenous communities — a significant increase from the 15% offered by the incumbent administration. The pledge drew loud cheers from the audience.
