Clinton Urling eyes political arena

Last Updated on Tuesday, 3 March 2015, 23:32 by GxMedia

City businessman and former President of the non-governmental organisation, Blue CAPS,  Clinton Urling  Tuesday said he would almost certainly be entering the political arena for the May 11, 2015 general and regional elections.

Speaking with Demerara Waves Online News, Urling said a decision would most likely be made in less than one month from now after he would have seen the parties’ campaign promises and conducted a review of the track record of the incumbent People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC).

“There is no serious discussion with anyone. I am waiting to see people unveil their manifestos and policy statements. I want to see which positions I like and which one is best for Guyana,” he said.

With the opposition coalition of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) scheduled to launch their campaign on Wednesday, Urling ruled out emerging on that platform at that event.

A senior official of the AFC confirmed to Demerara Waves that he held informal discussions with Urling. The AFC official also noted that based on those talks Urling would most likely make his position known in a few weeks.

Under his leadership, Blue CAPS had repeatedly called for the holding of Local Government Elections and more recently a resolution the national political gridlock either by early elections or the lifting of the parliamentary suspension. Parliament has since been dissolved, paving the way for general and regional elections to be held on May 11, 2015.

Blue CAPS on January 27 participated in an engagement with APNU that focused on youth policies. Granger’s plan includes investing heavily in education; job creation; micro finance for cottage industries, and start-ups and entrepreneurship. He then took questions and provided answers to those in attendance.

Urling, a former Chairman of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), said that depending on his assessment of the political environment he might opt to stay off the political scene.

Ever since Urling spearheaded the formation of Blue CAPS, observers had concluded that he harboured political ambitions.

Blue CAPS calls itself a self-funding, apolitical, not for profit, youth focused organization with a mission to promote youth leadership development through the core tenets of Change, Advocacy, Policy, and Service (C.A.P.S).