Manifesto Of The Democratic National Congress (Guyana)

Our Motto: “A Nation That Fails To Defend Its Democracy Consents To, And Justifies The Abuses Of Its Government.”

Manifesto of the Democratic National Congress

Date: Wednesday, May 23, 2018.

Location: Conference Room, National Library, Georgetown. Time: 13:00 hours.

Craig Sylvester, Party Leader, Democratic National Congress

The Democratic National Congress rejects all forms of racism and race-based politics and policies.

Preamble

The Democratic National Congress (DNC) was formed to respond to the growing threat of the repetition of the failed politics and policies of Guyana’s two major political parties. Of immediately greater importance is that the DNC foresees Guyana returning to earlier crises of rigged elections and a continuing collapse of oureconomyunderthefailedeconomic policies of the current administration. In this regard, we have formulated a set of principles and policies which we feel is reflective of the desires of all Guyanese, and offer it to the nation under the Democratic National Congress as an alternative political partyandsystemofgovernmentupon whichtobuildGuyana.

Our target group comprises the nation’ s workers, the business community, and those who havebeen left behind by the administrations of our major political parties. Securing victory at the 2020 national elections requires building a winning platform, educating voters, and our concerted effortsworkingas ateam

The DNC will be contesting the 2020 national elections to form a full government under the theme Bringing Guyana Into The 21st Century. The following are the DNC’s draft constitution, its Contract with Guyana, and policy proposals for address on entry into office in 2020. These are presented for consideration, and subject to further revisions, for adoptionas ourown. That is,the DNC’s constitution, its Contract and initial policy proposals of the DNC reflect the will and wishes of all Guyanese, and forms the basis upon which we can all commit to working together to make a success going forward. The Party is currently seeking patriotic individuals to take up the challenge of leadership both within its Central Executive, and in government. Interested persons may contact us using available contact details.

Dr. Cheddi Jagan. One of our founding fathers & leader of the Peoples ProgressiveParty FormerPresident,and champion in the struggle for democracy against the earlier rule of the PNC.

Mr. Hugh Desmond Hoyte, Former President & Father of Our Modern Economy. Both Dr.Jaganand hewould have wanted us to work together to achieve our common goals.

Membership: The Democratic National Congress is a Party for all Guyanese. They just need to register with our party representatives in their districts or via our website. They should also bring along their friends and families to build the party’ s strength and power withtheir membership,their vote. Every head counts. The Party’s website will soon be a forum for dialogue and exchange of ideas.

Our Party’s colours:

Blue: Royalty - That Guyana is a Great Nation and Guyanese are a Great People.

Yellow: Thesocialandeconomicprosperitythat willaccruetousbothas anation and as a people under our party's government and leadership.

The Party’s Symbol (tentative): An elephant. Adult elephants are unstoppable. The elephant symbolizes the masses of Guyanese joining the party across the country under its shared vision to deliver victory at the polls.

The DNC’s Vision For Guyana

The vision of the Democratic National Congress for Guyana is captured in our theme, BringingGuyanaIntoThe21st Century. Weare committed,and will work towards developing Guyana so that Guyanese can enjoy the level of welfare and standard of living achieved in developed economies. This will be realized by marshalling our resources and investing in our human and productive capital to generate national and personal incomes which will fund transformations in our physical infrastructure and allow Guyanese to live comfortable lives where they can afford not only basicnecessities, but also enjoy the welfare that derives from acquiring the things that appeal to them. Investment will be targeted in four broad areas:

1. Our Citizens

2. Government Services

3. Our Communities

The DNC considers raising incomes of our workers an investment inour citizensinour current economic climate. We will develop a ‘living wage’ with our unions and provide acrossthe-board phased adjustments sothattheincomesofourlowest paid workers incomes rise to thatlivingwage.

Investment in Our Citizens

Our people are our most important and transformative asset. In this regard, we are committed to releasing the potential of our citizens by investing directly in

4. The Productive Sectors.

their capacities. Incomes and unemployment issues have been placed at the center of our economic policy framework. Workers have over the decades struggled under the burden of depressed incomes, which has severely restricted their ability to enjoy basic welfare needs in many instances. Government under the DNC will work closely with workers’ unions to develop a plan for addressing workers’ income issues by aligning these with what our negotiations can agree on as a ‘living wage’. That is, the incomes of all publicsector workers willbe adjusted by an amount which will raise the wages and salaries of the lowest paid public servants up tothelevelwherewe canagreetheycanlive comfortably. Wewillalso work closely with the private sector to address bottlenecks to investment and job creation as a means of addressing our pressing national unemployment situation.

Government Services

The Democratic National Congress recognizes that much of the corruption ingovernment services results from the depressed incomes of public servants. We intend to address this directly by paying increased wages and salaries to our public servants. Further, a national governance framework is integral to eliminating corruption, minimizing waste of taxpayers’ dollars and maximizing growth and welfare possibilities. In this regard, more weight will be given to the independence of the Public Procurement Commission. All government ministries and agencies will be tasked with drafting governance guidelines for their respective organizations with external assistance where necessary. These will be integrated into the operations of the respective organizations. All staff will be provided with training to ensure that regulations on governance are adhered to.

Our Communities

“A national governance framework is integral toeliminatingcorruption, minimizing waste of taxpayers’ dollars and maximizing growth and welfarepossibilities.”

Realizing our vision of bringing Guyana into the 21st century necessarily involves investing in our communities. We will work with regional and municipal administrativebodiestoensurethattheyembracethesoundgovernancepractices established for central government. They will be consulted regarding their respectivebudgetsandtheresponsivenessoftheseindeliveringonenvironmental standards for cleanliness and other physical and social infrastructure necessary for increasing the standard of living in these communities.

Our Productive Sectors

Investment inourproductivesectorsis crucial for realizing our vision for Guyana. In this respect, we encourage all Guyanese to examine their available productive assets and consider what resources they need to generate wealth. The government of the DNC will hold consultationswithallproductivesectors,from

agriculture to manufacturing, mining and IT, to ensure that every sector has the necessary support to increase production and wherever possible, facilitate access to export markets.

The DNC’s Contract with Guyana:

The DNC’s Contract with Guyana spells out in clear language the roles and responsibilities of our government to the people of Guyana.

1. Maintain the Constitution of Guyana so that it reflects the will and wishes of the People.

2. Promote economic prosperity for all by creating an enabling environment which providesthelegal,regulatoryandphysical infrastructure to support innovation and industry within the private sector.

3. Ensure that income levels and unemployment are central to our policy framework.

4. Provide the physical and social infrastructuretoensureamobile,healthy, educated work force.

5. Guarantee social, cultural and religious freedoms to all ethnic groups.

6. Guarantee equal rights of citizens under the law.

7. Guarantee freedom of expression and freedom to associate.

Constitutional Issues

Guyana’sconstitutionalissues standatthecenterofmuchofour politicalandeconomic problems, as Section 182, which makes charges against the president impossible, essentially grant the holderoftheofficeauthorityover virtually all aspects of government, allowing him to adopt potentially prejudicial positions which may be inimical to the national welfare. The address of Guyana’s constitutional problems will therefore share priority with economic policy under our government.

8. Develop and maintain Guyana’s national security to safeguard against both internal and external threats.

9. Work with the United Nations Commissions on Human Rights to facilitate the adoption of its universally established rights, to the extent that these rights reflect our country’s values, customs and traditions.

The DNC’s Agenda For Its First One Hundred Days In Office

1. The Constitution of Guyana - A Constitution Commission will be established to identify issues with our constitution. These will be examined to determine the appropriate course of action for each, counter-parties to resolution if necessary, total time expected for a full resolution of each, and all issues. This will be presented to the public for discussion, and subject to any other recommendations, mechanisms will be established to proceed with a full

resolution of all identified issues. Periodic press releases will be made to keep the public informed.

2. Public Servants’ Wages & Salaries - The wages and salaries of our public servants have takena drubbing for in excess of two decades, and will be brought to the front burner immediately. Public service union leaders can therefore look forward to making proposals on public servants’ salaries, because we have some which we are confident will stir interest.

3. Investment, Job Creation & General Private Sector MattersForeign investors have the potential to significantly accelerate Guyana’s development prospects, and in this regard, GO-INVEST will be further strengthened, with greater efforts being extended to marketing Guyana abroad in an effort to attract investor attention.

A public/private panel will be set up which will focus on local private sector concerns regarding investment, job creation and general matters that concernprivatesectorexpansion. Alsoto be covered here is infrastructural development.

Our People - Our citizens are our nation’s single most important transformative asset. With this in mind,oneoftheprimaryobjectives of the policy framework of the Democratic National Congress is the nurturing our nation’s talent, investinginourpeoplesothatthey can achieve their maximum potential in their endeavors. We have shaped our policies on incomes, taxation, education and health to deliver on this philosophy.

The Private Sector - Astheengineof growth, the private sector will be consulted on matters which affect them with respect to investment, jobs creation and increasing their competitivenessglobally.

Taxation – Prudentfiscalpolicywillbe central to maintaining economic stability. Our policy on taxation will be guided by our desire to minimize the incidence of tax on our citizens.

4. Welfare Benefits and Unemployment Insurance - The DNC acknowledges the integral role workers play ininnovation, production and overall national development. In this regard, it will initiate a systematic assessment of welfare benefits provided to ouradult population bythe government of Guyana to determine the effectiveness of these benefits in responding to recipients’ particular circumstances.

To the extent this has not already been done by 2020, our administration will undertake steps aimed at drafting legislation which will finally realize the provision of unemployment insurance to our nation's affected workers. An evaluation will be conducted to determine funding requirements and alternative mechanisms for financing these benefits.

5. Taxation - The applications of VAT in the 2017 budget will be repealed. Furtherefforts willbepaidtoseeinghowVATcanbescaledback. Some mechanism will be also put in place to lower income taxes generally, and an investigationintotheappropriateness ofhavingalowerflat taxforbusinesses will be made.

General reductions in tax rates will follow increased government revenues which are expected to flow from the policy matrix government implements after consultations with various stakeholders. Reductions are also subject to infrastructural demands.

6.Rice&Sugar - Discussions will be held with representatives of the rice sector to address bottlenecks within the sector. Greater supervision will be made available to ensure rice farmers are fairly treated.

The problems in the sugar industry should have been addressed long ago, and will be brought to a closure sooner than later. International experts will be consulted to determine the industry’s viability in the future. The DNC proposes to have sugar workers who left or were released from 2010 to the present included as part of the negotiations, which we think is an appropriate cut-off point for inclusion. Failing any firm agreements which will involve the union regarding privatization, we have already drafted some proposals which include the distribution of land to sugar workers along with a financial compensation package. The distribution of land will fall within a larger policy support framework for those receiving these lands.

7. Other Agriculture - Exports in 2016 for the world's two top agricultural exporters, America and the Netherlands, were estimated at US$129.7 billion and US$100 billion, respectively. Curiously, Netherlands is just over 16,000 square miles, or about one-fifth the size of Guyana. It attributes its performance to returns on its investment in innovation and research over the years. Given the achievements of these two countries, our Ministry of Agriculture will be tasked with conducting a complete evaluation of our available agricultural resources. They will also be tasked with engaging with America, the Netherlands and other top agricultural producers and exporters in an effort to source available research and technologies which can be adapted to Guyana's own conditions. The National Development Strategy will be consulted for locally available information on the subject.

8. Natural Resources Sector – Guyana’s natural resources represent a great source of income and wealth to Guyanese. In this respect, international consultantswillbeengagedtoensurethatGuyanaobtainsmaximumreturnsfrom investments in this sector while remaining competitive in respect of the concessions offered to investors and corporations interested in entering this economic sector.

Gold Mining - Within the gold mining sector, in the absence of stronger policing systems, royalties and other punitive charges need to be reduced to improve official gold declarations, and encourage investment and job creation within the sector.

9. Amerindian Affairs - The cultures and lifestyles of our Amerindian peoples are such that where this has not already been done, legislation will be crafted to preserve these, to the extent that they do not contradict the laws of our country. The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs will be tasked with producing a policy framework paper which documents issues which concern Amerindians. The paper will contain proposals for addressing highlighted issues and suggested times for resolution. The Amerindian Peoples' Association will be consulted to determine how best to approach the social and economic development of Amerindians without eroding their cultures. They, in consultation with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, will submit proposals on recovering aspects of their culture which were previously lost, with particular emphasis on their languages.

10. Water & Electricity - The Guyana Water Inc. will be responsible for preparing and submitting information regarding unserved areas. They will also develop and implement a plan for addressing the availability of potable water.

Concerns about electricity supply and cost will be addressed as a matter of urgency, with a more clinical approach to addressing needs and resource utilization mechanisms.

11.Health&Education - The Ministries of Health & Education will be tasked with identifying weaknesses in their service delivery, and making proposals to address these weaknesses. For example, much more needs to be done to address the performance of students at the common entrance or National Grade Six examinations.

12. Sports - Sports is considered integral to achieving the successes in welfare defined by our party’s constitution. Sports will be elevated and will form part of Guyana’s marketing strategy under our government. For a start, specific sports disciplines will be identified and resources allocated to raising Guyana’s performance on the global stage.

13. Governance - A national governance framework is integral to eliminating corruption, minimizing waste of taxpayers’ dollars and maximizing growth and welfare possibilities. In this regard, more weight will be given to the independence of the Public Procurement Commission. All government ministries and agencies will be tasked with drafting governance guidelines for their respective organizations with external assistance wherenecessary.Thesewillbeintegrated into the operations of the respective organizations. All staff will be provided with training to ensure that regulations on governance are adhered to. Governance issues will also be addressed with the Private Sector at the Public/Private dialogue forum.

14. Housing - The fee structure for issuing house lots will be revisited to provide more relief to house lot recipients. This approach is necessary and appropriate since much of the poverty and depressed wages which exist in Guyana were and are a direct consequence of poor government policy in the first instance.

Sports - Some initial recommendations include:

1. Examination of mechanisms by which other countries compensate their athletes as a first step to crafting appropriate guidelines and contracts for Guyana’s coaches and sports men and women.

2. Developing compensation packages for coaches of sportsdisciplinesidentifiedfor government support.

3. Providing contracts to sports men and women.

4. Developing and providing the necessary infrastructure to support sports activities nationally.

5. Placing greater emphasis on sports in our schools’ curriculum.

6. Where necessary, and subject to guidelines and regulations, provide sponsorship to athletes for their education.

Defining Guyana’s Future

Guyana’s future and national development will be continuously addressed throughpublic/privatedialoguewiththePrivateSector. Thiswillensurethatboth government and the Private Sector share a common vision for the expansion and national development of our country. Increasing incomes will naturally result in the expansion of our residential communities and increased demands on our municipalities. The government of the DNC will therefore work along with our administrativeorganstoproduceplansfortheextensionanddevelopmentoftheir respective communities. Ideas for development which were previously tabled will beexaminedtodeterminetheirabilitytorespondtothedemandsenvisagedunder our administration.

Draft Constitution of the Democratic National Congress

The Democratic National Congress is committed to the following principles:

1. That Guyana be governed as a Democratic Republic, where the authority of the state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people through their elected representatives;

2. Preservation of a sound, effective political system for choosing and replacing governments through free and fair elections;

3. Encouraging and facilitating the active participation of all Guyanese as citizens, in politics and civic life;

4. Delivering effective government which recognizes industry, innovation and workers as central to the attainment of our country’s goals of a standard of living where we can enjoy the fruits of our labor, achieve of our goals, be healthy and happy;

5. Recognizethe income levels of our citizens and unemployment as centralto our efforts in advancing welfare growth;

6. Protection of the human rights of all citizens;

7. Enforcement of the Rule of Law, where the laws and procedures of Guyana apply equally to all of our citizens;

8.FreedomofExpression – Everyoneisguaranteedtherighttocommunicatewith each other and express ideas freely in an open and fair society.

The Democratic National Congress rejects all forms of racism and racebased politics and policies.

Craig Sylvester, Party Leader, Democratic National Congress

Craig Sylvester is currently engaged as a teacher in the Business Department of Queen’s College. He served as an economist in the Research Department of the Bank of Guyana from December 1999 thru’ January 2008. During that time he benefitted from a number of training seminars hosted by the IMF’s Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Center. He served one year as a Finance & Economics Consultant at the Private Sector Commission from February 2010 thru’ March 2011.

Mr. Sylvester entered the public discourse on Guyana’s economic and political environment in 2013, and has written numerous letters to the press examining Guyana’s problems. He has recently submitted articles which demonstrate that the socialist ideologiesofthemajorpoliticalparties,alongwiththeirrelianceonethnicdivisions have systematically failed Guyana, and will continue to do so. He is of the opinion that these failures have given rise to a great opportunity for a major shift in Guyana’s economic and political fundamentals. In this light, he has established the Democratic National Congress, drafted its constitution and main political and economic objectives with the aid of public criticism, and has drawn up policy proposals for address in the DNC’s first one hundred days in Office.

Mr. Sylvester encourages all Guyanese to examine these ideas and make suggestions, so that come 2020, we can all be confident that we have both a political party and an economic policy framework to which we can together commit to working to make a success as we strive to address our pressing political and economic problems. The final result is that Guyana can have a government administration under the DNC in 2020. To this end, we require approximately17 individuals tostep forward andassume ministerial portfolios within the DNC. With this accomplished, Guyanese will be more confident thattheywillhaveafullyfunctioningadministrationundertheDNCin2020.Individuals are therefore urged to examine our philosophy and proposals and come forward to take up the challenge of Bringing Guyana Into the 21st Century.

Our Flag

ContactUs:

Mailing Address: 269ThomasStreet,NorthCummingsburg,Georgetown.

Tele: (592)225-7088/611-0058

Website: https://www.dncgy.org

Email: craigsylvester@dncgy.org;craigsgy@gmail.com

“A Nation That Fails To Defend Its Democracy, Consents To, And Justifies The Abuses Of Its Government.”