Granger’s presidency was a ‘geriatric movement’, excluded youth – fmr. PNC Executive

Former Executive Member of the People’s National Congress Reform, Thandi McAllister, has lamented the exclusion of young people in leadership while former President David Granger was in office.

McAllister, who has thrown her support behind President Dr. Irfaan Ali and the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), spoke about the exclusion of youth under the Granger presidency. She took umbrage that Mr. Granger recently told young Guyanese voters to reject empty promises.

“I believe that Granger’s utterances, perhaps, would have held more weight if he had lived those words while he was President and while he had the opportunity to demonstrate to youth that we are important.

“Regrettably, he did not. Regrettably, what we saw was a geriatric movement, and it is that movement, in my most humble opinion, that has him where he is now – out of office, a former President fighting for a voice, fighting to be heard like he fought to be heard while he was at the helm,” McAllister said during this week’s episode of the Starting Point podcast.

Mr. Granger was President after a PNC-led APNU+AFC coalition won the 2015 elections.

Though youth inclusion was a major pillar of his party’s campaign, McAllister said once elected, young people were excluded. This eventually led to her departure from the party, after years of service.
Guyana’s next General and Regional Elections are scheduled for later this year. Dr. Ali of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) is seeking a second term in office.

McAllister, an attorney, recently said the upcoming elections will “determine the future of the country,” even as she said much has unfolded since President Ali was elected in 2020. So she joined many others who called for citizens to support Dr. Ali.