NEW YORK – A 1,000 lots housing scheme is being developed for Guyanese who are returning home, President Bharrat Jagdeo has announced here, noting that many have been heading back to Guyana in recent years.

“In the past two years many Guyanese have returned and within the next four months we are starting a housing scheme with 1,000 lots for Guyanese who are coming back. They can come and buy,” he said.

His announcement was made last week at a gala 60th anniversary dinner of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) at the Royal Indian Palace on Atlantic Avenue in Queens, New York.

“We have fixed many things. We no longer use 94% of our income to service debts. We use just 4%. This is the second highest growth rate in the western hemisphere last year in spite of the economic crisis”, the President pointed out to a rapturous audience.

He added: “On the fiscal side we have built eight new hospitals – five of which have been directly funded from the budget; we also have 750 (students) studying medicine; very shortly we will be distributing 90,000 laptop computers to deserving households; in January-February next year we will be establishing a 24-hour learning channel television; we are also in talks with India to build a state-of–the-art hospital…and we have seen a lot of people coming back.”

Mr. Jagdeo said the PPP as a party has grown under very difficult internal and external opposition.

“We came from a time when education by the colonists was not a priority for the people; when getting a job in the public sector meant conversion from one religion to another”, he recalled.

But, he added, the PPP has the proud distinction of being the only political party in the western hemisphere at the forefront of the struggle for the poor, dispossessed, and working class people for 60 years.

“Dr. (Cheddi) Jagan was a leader whose struggle was not confined to changing the circumstances of just Guyanese but others around the world in a similar situation. He also made it clear that the only way forward was through equality”, the President said.

“Irrespective of race or religion, the only way forward is if all the people move forward together,” said Mr. Jagdeo.

He traced the evolution of the party and said its ability to adapt to differing circumstances in differing eras is what makes it unique.

“With globalisation today we are seeing differing phenomenas not sympathetic to small countries. Among them are the evolving international trade system, the double standards in the global financial systems, climate change and transnational crime. So within this global context we have to craft a way forward — one which will take us to greater prosperity”, he stated.

He noted that the overriding vision and unique inspirational leadership of Dr. Jagan and other founders of the party have left the members with a legacy capable of withstanding these circumstances.

“We came out of a different era and in different circumstances. But it’s only because of the British and American manipulation (that) our party was not in power when the country became independent. However, no one can deny the leading role the PPP played in achieving independence,” the President declared.

He also urged the large audience to read material released by the British and American agencies to better grasp the events of that period, which divided the people along religious and racial lines “and which harmed us so irreparably for many, many years that today we are trying to heal.”

“But our struggles continued with an oppressive regime…that toyed with our future and eventually led us to economic ruin.  So people had to flee. They were in a country where they did not have choices. And this led to alienation. So a lot of our people fled. It is this alienation that we fought against!”

He recounted that a delegation from the Caribbean Council of Churches went to Guyana in the early 1990s and came to the conclusion that apart from the evident economic, education, health, and infrastructure ruination, “what was even more obvious was that the people had no hope.  No hope of a brighter future. When you take away hope from a people, you take away their drive and ambition.”

“So a significant part of our party’s work was to restore this; to change our circumstances and restore hope, freedom and dignity,” the President said.

He said this was not an easy task as it first appeared as the expectations were so high and with limited resources that it was extremely difficult.

“Many of you know when we started we had triple digit inflation. The fiscal deficit was 25% of GDP. The balance of payments deficit was 47% of GDP. It meant every four years the government debt doubled because we had to finance the deficit and every two years, our indebtedness as a country with the rest of the world as reflected in the balance of payment position doubled. This happened every two years,” President Jagdeo stressed.

Among others at the dinner were PPP General Secretary, Mr. Donald Ramotar; Consul General of Guyana in New York, Mr. Brentnol Evans; Mr. Rajendra Singh of the Association of Concerned Guyanese (USA); Attorney-at-Law Mr. Kawall Totaram; businessman Mr. Bhola Ramsundar, Dr. Taj Rajkumar (District Leader); businessmen and philanthropists, Mr. George Subraj, Jay Sobhraj, Ken Subraj, Dr. Rahul Jundal and Guyana Watch President, Mr. Tony Yassin.

Mr. Ramotar said October 9, the date of the dinner, was especially significant to the party as it was on this date in 1953 that the PPP was removed from office “after the British suspended the Constitution of the first-democratically elected government.” He noted that it was removed after only 133 days in office.

“And on October 9, 1992, the very man who was removed from office in 1953 was sworn-in at the very place as the first freely-elected President of independent Guyana, Dr. Cheddi Jagan. This date makes the occasion even more special as it speaks of the overthrow and the return in a triumphant manner of the People’s Progressive Party”, he said.

He stated that the past 18 years have not been easy because immediately after the PPP was returned to power, the late President Desmond Hoyte declared “that we would not last six months.”

“He said it at that time because he knew better than us the state in which he had left Guyana. Our country had become the poorest country in the western hemisphere. After the six months were done and we were still there, he said we would not last for two years – well comrades this is 18 years and we are still here and I have news for them that for the next 18 years we will still be there!”