Youths must have opportunity to study, develop themselves
– President Ramotar
PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar has told some 200 youths at a Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) youth forum at Cotton Field on the Essequibo Coast yesterday that they must have opportunities to study and develop themselves.
President Ramotar said the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government has full confidence and faith in young Guyanese and that is the reason why the government is investing heavily in the education sector so young people can study
and develop themselves. The President also called on young people to study history, especially the history of the People’s Progressive Party.
According to the Head of State the party has a rich history and young people must know about the past of the country. President Ramotar told
the youths that Guyana was moving at a rapid pace in terms of development in the early fifties under the PPP government led by the late father of the nation and founder of the PPP, Dr Cheddi Jagan when Guyana became a victim of the then cold war and the PPP was removed from government at a time when the country had the lowest cost of living in the Caribbean. The President explained that 28 years later when the PPP was returned to office under a democratic system Guyana was rated as the poorest country alongside Haiti in the Caribbean. The PNC Government had made
Guyana into a begging basket. President Ramotar called on the young people to study the history of the party and the West on Trial, a book
written by the late President Cheddi Jagan. The President also told the youths that the PPP government built the Universtiy of Guyana,
which the PNC Government had wanted to close down and refer to it as “Jagan night school”. Today the said university many Guyanese has passed
through. The President insisted that young people must make use of every educational opportunity and know the past history of the country
because today the PNC led APNU is on a psychological warfare to poison the minds of Guyanese about the PPP.
The President said over the last ten years a lot of development took place in the country but still some people have short knowledge to
remember and urged that young people must equip themselves with knowledge. President Ramotar said he is convinced that the country has
a very bright future and encouraged youths to ask themselves what they can do to develop their country. Minister within the Ministry of
Agriculture, Alli Baksh said the Government has set up the Essequibo Technical Institute and the Guyana School of Agriculture to give young
people in Essequibo the opportunities to study and elevate themselves. He said hundreds of acres of farmland are being developed to encourage young people to pursue farming. Region Two Chairman, Parmanand Persaud said the President has young people at heart because he came through the ranks of the PYO.
He said the forum organised by the PYO is important to bring young people together to discuss and find solutions to issues affecting them. He said the PYO is used as a training ground to train young people as future leaders of the PPP. The President met and held discussions with youths in various groups.