Presidential Candidate of the New Movement, Dr. Asha Kissoon
Lamenting the undelivered promises and excuses of successive Governments, another group of young people, mostly doctors, on Thursday launched a political party named ‘The New Movement.’
The party, headed by mostly doctors, is the first to put forward a female Presidential Candidate – Dr Asha Kissoon. She is 30 years old and new to the political arena but hopes that she can bring solutions to the plight of women, children and ordinary Guyanese.
She is a general doctor at the Georgetown Public Hospital and is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health Administration.
Speaking at the launch on Thursday at the party’s Durban Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown office, Dr Kissoon noted that “we want improvements, change has been promised to us 100 times but we’re above change right now, what we need is improvements in Guyana.”
The Presidential Candidate said it was never her intention to contest an election but noted that the former Governments have failed miserably to solve some of the major issues affecting society.
“My personal journey, I never imagine standing before you today as a politician…my main distress is when I turn to the left, there is one party fighting with another, I turn to the right there is racial barriers, I turn to the left again, there is favouritism in the system so because I was so tired of it, I decided to come forward and work with my colleagues to achieve the vision that we have,” Dr. Kissoon added.
The party’s symbol is a Harpy Eagle which Dr Kissoon said shows the party’s strength to rise above corruption and other ongoing issues in Guyana.
According to Dr Kissoon, the party is financed by its members through fund-raising events.
The party’s Prime Ministerial Candidate is Dr Gerald Forde. Forde previously contested the Local Government Elections as an independent candidate at Grove on the East Bank of Demerara.
On Thursday, he called on persons to join The New Movement.
“The average middle, poor and working-class people struggle together in the markets, in the schools, in the hospitals, in the offices, in our communities to make ends meet. We are in a struggle together to realise economic liberation in this generation,” he told those gathered.
“The enemy of Guyanese are those who seek our continued division, our exploitation and our perpetuation of ignorance in this country,” he added.
The group promised to improve the delivery of healthcare and education, reform the Constitution of Guyana, get into hemp production construct an oil refinery.
One of the party’s supporters is well known Dr Turhane Doerga who in the past supported the APNU+AFC Government. While the Presidential Candidate said the party is only leaning on the advice of Dr Doerga, the Facebook page has him listed as a founder of the party.
Dr Doerga said the Government has turned its back on youths after being elected to office but he believes the youth movement will prove to be a real competition for the major parties at the upcoming polls.
“Of course they will tell you it will be a straight fight between the PNC (People’s National Congress which is the largest party in the APNU) and the PPP (People’s Progressive Party) but I have bad news for them. You don’t know these youths, they have the stamina, they have endurance…and they create the jobs right here,” he said.
The party plans to move into the various administrative regions in the coming weeks to launch its campaign.
The New Movement is the sixth political party to be launched this year with hopes of contesting the March 2020 general and regional elections.
The Guyana Elections Commission has disclosed that 15 parties have so far indicated an interest in participating in the elections. (Bibi Khatoon)