– Agriculture Minister
MINISTER of Agriculture Robert Persaud believes that the October 5 anniversary which commemorates 18 years of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in government signals not only the rebirth of democracy but also a transformation in the country’s landscape. The Minister was speaking to scores of people gathered at a commemorative community rally, at Rambella’s place in Port Mourant, Berbice, organised by the area’s group of the PPP/C.

Minister Persaud told residents that the PPP/C, upon its ascension into office, inherited a national debt of close to US$2B. He pointed to the studies conducted by many organisations, including the Caribbean Council of Churches that described entrenched corruption at all levels of government.
The Minister noted that the transformation is evident, especially in the social sectors and pointed to increased spending in the areas of education, health and housing.
He pointed out that prior to 1992, approximately $498M was spent on education, as compared to the $20B in 2009. Before 1992, there was no Ministry of Housing, nor a dedicated housing programme, but the values and vision of the ruling party, allowed for its implementation, soon after taking office, Minister Persaud said.
Referring to agriculture, Minister Persaud noted that as the mainstay of the economy, precious little – just over $1B was spent on the sector, pointing out that the increase of nearly 700 percent in capital invested in agriculture is a clear demonstration of government’s commitment to the economic prosperity of Guyana.
And according to the Minister, the party’s work is not done. He declared Guyana’s development a task that the PPP/C is more than capable of pursuing aggressively, adding that the leadership of the party is well placed to ‘steer Guyana’s ship’ for the next 18 years and beyond.
Member of Parliament, Mr. Donald Ramotar, reiterated that the party has not strayed from the vision of its founder Dr. Cheddi Jagan, which adumbrated development from the grassroots level. He noted that when Dr. Jagan became President, among his first acts was to remove the unnecessary emoluments associated with the office, decrease the budget in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to redirect the money spent in the social sectors. Ramotar declared that 18 years later, that vision has been vindicated as Guyana’s housing programme is one of the best the world over.
Speaking, too, was Region Six Regional Chairman Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha, who said that his region is on its way to a metropolis. Mustapha said East Berbice/Corentyne is the fastest growing region, where one only has to look around to see the development under the PPP/C administration. He pointed to the recently commissioned $1.6B water well at Queenstown, Corentyne, as evidence of the fulfillment of the promises to the people by the PPP/C.
The Chairman noted that in recent years, his region has benefitted from the services of the National Ophthalmology Hospital at Port Mourant, and the single largest investment by the government to date, the Berbice River Bridge.

PHOTO  saved in Graphics files as: Berbice Robert and Berbice Robert 1

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