The absence of Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton from the APNU’s campaign meeting at “Bam-Bam Alley” – a spot he frequents and is well known for his political interactions – was as noticeable as the thin gathering that turned up on Monday.
Officially known as “Sweet Point,” at the corner of Orange Walk and Charlotte Street in Bourda, the venue is part of Norton’s political stomping ground. Yet, neither he nor many of the regulars from his gatherings there were present. Ironically, some of those very “Bam-Bam Alley” fixtures are now listed as candidates for the upcoming elections.
The absence of Norton left young party representatives to shoulder the responsibility of defending the coalition’s record in office and making the case for a return to government.
Attendees heard from the panel of younger APNU figures who sought to counter criticism of the party’s past governance while outlining promises for the future.
Many were new faces to frontline politics, appearing on the candidate list for the first time. They argued that the APNU’s perceived weaknesses and loss of support were due less to poor leadership and more to the absence of oil revenues during their time in office.
They faced a tough audience, with questions online about the coalition’s performance from 2015 to 2020, including job creation, community investments and public security in the very area where the event was staged.
Businessman and gospel artiste Saiku Andrews was one of the headline speakers. His pitch was heavy on numbers, citing cost overruns on major infrastructure projects and claiming that better financial discipline under APNU could move citizens “from poverty to prosperity.”
Yet, beyond his comparisons, the path to delivering such sweeping economic change remained vague.
Youth candidate Eden Corbin also urged the crowd to take the elections seriously, promising initiatives such as financial support for university students, protection of intellectual property rights for content creators, and more opportunities for young entrepreneurs.
His proposals, founded on promises made by the APNU along the campaign trail, included a $50,000 monthly stipend for tertiary students.
Chair of the Guyana Youth and Student Movement, Kibwe Copeland, delivered a message centred on restoring dignity to public servants, especially members of the security services. He pledged merit-based promotions, housing support and improved working conditions.
Young APNU Coalition activist Ravoldo Birbal delivered one of the most forceful speeches of the night. He pledged that under an APNU-led administration, the minimum wage would rise to $200,000, the income tax threshold to $400,000, and oil revenues would be channelled “into the pockets of the common man.”
Birbal claimed that from 2015 to 2020, the coalition had done the best it could without oil money.
With elections approaching and the APNU stained by its election rigging attempts in 2020, its gamble appears to be new faces and rhetoric.
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