…talks about experience when asked about qualifications

PEOPLE’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) presidential candidate Irfaan Ali on Thursday shied away from answering question about allegations that he faked his qualification, but rather talked about his experience as a former government minister.

Ali made the comments at a press conference held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Church Street, Queenstown, Georgetown on Thursday. Questioned about his qualifications, which he allegedly faked the PPP presidential candidate chose to tell reporters about his experience. “I believe I have the experience, I believe I have the competencies, I have managed large-scale projects. I have been integral in policy-making, I played an integral part in economic policies, I have shadowed the economic sector in Parliament, I’ve chaired the PAC, I have worked in the housing sector, I have worked in project planning, so I think I possess a wide array of experience and in terms of my qualifications, as I have said before, I have put all my qualifications out there, my certificates are out there, these are things that I stand by and I have worked hard for, every one of my academic qualifications and anyone can scrutinise them.”

According to Ali, his qualifications includes an International Business Management Post-Graduate Diploma (2002), a Masters in Human Resource Planning from the Guru Gobind Singh India Prastha University (2003), a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Management from the University of Sunderland (2006), and a Post- Graduate Certificate in Finance from the Anglia Ruskin University (2018). Further, Ali said he is completing studies for a doctorate while pursuing a Master’s in International Commercial Law.

He explained that during his outreaches over the last few months, thousands of young people from all political persuasions have shared their experience and offered their help in campaigning.
“You will see when the PPP/C launches its campaign, you might be shocked to see how many that believed in the failed and false promises of the APNU/AFC will be joining us on this journey for a better Guyana,” Ali said.
He continued: “My Guyanese brothers and sisters, we are in all of this together and we will build a Guyana where you will feel that you have a stake in Guyana, so in the next five years, we will see tremendous transformation.”

The PPP presidential candidate said that during his tenure, per capita GDP will be doubled, energy sustainability will reach 90 per cent from renewable energy, growth in disposable income, massive annual investment, the elimination of extreme poverty, the creation of 50,000 new jobs, universal secondary education, a reduction in crime, housing expansion and the doubling of international reserves, among others.

Ali said he has visited almost every region and many persons are in a state of despair, especially with policies and actions of the current government.

The presidential candidate noted that when he is elected to office, he will surround himself with a high-powered team to deliver the party’s campaign promises.
“I would surround myself with the best team. I am a team person. I’m team-oriented. I think that we will achieve everything through a great team effort,” he said.