Jagdeo: World Bank poverty data do not reflect current reality

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has shut down claims by the Opposition that half of Guyana is living below the poverty level.

Responding to a question posed by a reporter during his weekly press conference at Freedom House on Thursday, the General Secretary clarified that the data which was cited from the World Bank was derived from a 2018-2019 survey.

He stressed the need for an updated survey, which he said would paint an entirely different picture.

“It is 2018-2019 data, and Nigel Hughes keeps repeating it as though it’s current, and everybody clarified that already. This is what happened under APNU [A Partnership For National Unity],” Dr Jagdeo said.

He related that there has been massive improvements under the PPP administration which has led to improved living standards for Guyanese.

“From then to now, old age pension has been doubled, sixty thousand people…are working, we now have better access to healthcare, the children have a grant, a whole range of things have changed from 2018 to now,” he said.

He stressed that the World Bank itself has also clarified the use of the data, noting that the information released in 2019 and not recently.

“I think we need to have another survey done because it was a household income expenditure survey. We need to look at that. What it would show is that tonnes of people more are working, earning– look at the disposable income level again, look at public sector,” he emphasised.

Dr Jagdeo continued that a look at the 2020 wage bill is different to what it is today, noting that it is nearly 120 billion dollars more.

“That’s a lot of money, I was thinking 600 million US dollars more per year…,” he said.