Jagdeo outlines PPP’s accomplishments, warns against opposition’s fake promises

Hailing the strength and unity of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), General Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo expressed confidence in the party’s return to power in the upcoming General and Regional Elections.

Speaking to a well-attended gathering at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant, Region Six, a stronghold of the party’s support base, Dr Jagdeo declared that the PPP would win against any candidate, “except God.”

However, he warned supporters to remain vigilant against opposition agents seeking to divide the party by spreading vile messages of racism and neglect.

Dr Jagdeo emphasised that the PPP is a party for all Guyanese and has been working diligently to include people of all ethnic backgrounds.

“We are strong in Indo-Guyanese communities, we have grown stronger in Amerindian communities because of our work, and we will make a dedicated effort to strengthen our support in Afro-Guyanese communities,” he said.

Under President Dr Irfaan Ali’s leadership, he noted, the party has ensured that every community benefits from development.

“Now everyone has seen this. Every Guyanese, including those who supported the PNC because they believed it cared about people, now realise they were misled by fake promises,” he affirmed.

Dr Jagdeo outlined the government’s achievements, stating that the PPP does not make empty promises but delivers on its commitments.

“We promised children’s grants, and we did it. We doubled the Old-Age Pension. We committed to 50,000 house lots, and we are already at 41,000. We pledged 20,000 scholarships, but we have delivered 50,000. We aimed for 60,000 new jobs because people were losing employment in droves. The Joint Services got back their bonus, we removed 200 taxes imposed by the previous government, reinvested in the sugar industry, repealed three taxes on miners, and restored employment in Region 10, where 1,000 bauxite workers had lost their jobs. Rice farmers have received support, including higher paddy prices. Every group of Guyanese, regardless of race, has seen that the PPP stands by its word. Our word is our bond,” he said.

President Dr Irfaan Ali, who spoke earlier, praised Jagdeo’s leadership for taking the party to new heights and reaffirmed that the PPP is dedicated to love for country and service to the people.

He stressed that the party “cannot be bought or sold” and paid tribute to the values and vision of PPP founder and former President Dr Cheddi Jagan.

Turning to the government’s accomplishments in Region Six, Ali noted that the region suffered significantly from the closure of sugar estates under the APNU+AFC administration.

However, over the past five years, life in the region has been changing. Bank deposits have increased by 71 per cent, reflecting renewed confidence in the local economy.

He reported that over 1,000 workers have been rehired at the Rose Hall Estate, more than 4,000 people in the region have gained employment through the government’s Pathway to Prosperity Programme, and over $20 billion has been invested in agriculture over the past four years.

Private credit to the agriculture sector has tripled, farmers have benefitted from free fertiliser and flood relief grants, and VAT has been removed from agricultural equipment. More than 8,500 eye surgeries have been performed free of cost at the Port Mourant Ophthalmology Centre since its founding, and more nurses and young people are being trained in TVET programmes.

And these are not the only developments for the region, the President said. The region will benefit from a modern hospitality institute, an oil and gas training centre, an airport, a four-lane highway, hospitals, a deep-water port, and the opening of thousands of acres of land for agriculture.

Things in the region have been changing, and in a positive way. In 2019, contracts in Region Six were awarded to only 43 contractors, whereas today, the number has risen to 1,132. President Ali maintained that progress will continue as long as the PPP remains in power, pointing out that the government has not only delivered but exceeded its manifesto promises.