FORMER President Bharrat Jagdeo said the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government will create some 25,000 jobs in the next five years once re-elected to office with a majority government.Addressing hundreds of supporters at Success, East Coast Demerara on Wednesday evening, the former President said attention will be placed on wooing new investors to realise this goal.

He said the Government has recognised the opportunities in tourism, the call centre and Information Communication Technology industries and small and micro enterprises and will be focusing on further developing and expanding these sectors.
If the party regains the majority in the National Assembly, he said the Amaila Falls Project will come on stream, bringing down the cost of electricity and spring-boarding development in the manufacturing sector.
This, he said, will result in the creation of thousands of jobs, raising the standard of living of Guyanese, who will be many ordinary Guyanese.

OIL AND GAS FIND
The discovery of oil and gas, he also said, will position Guyana on a path to greater prosperity, creating opportunities for high-paying jobs, and enabling a brighter future for all Guyanese.
This, he noted, is the vision of the ruling party as it tries to consolidate on the gains made and build on the successes achieved.
On that note, he said, May 11 is a significant day in the history of Guyana and urged supporters to come out in their full numbers and vote, contending that their vote is not just about showing support for the PPP/C.

DON’T TRUST THEM
He explained that it is absolutely necessary to ensure the future of their children and that Guyana is secured, stressing that they shouldn’t trust the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Alliance.
The Alliance, he said, is a cover for the old People’s National Congress Reform (PNC).
And the PNC when in power killed, brutalised and muzzled the populace through threats and intimidation, and sinking the country into a state of bankruptcy.
Under the PPP/C, Jagdeo said, Guyana has been moved from a state of bankruptcy to the road of prosperity, warning the gathering that the PNC had not changed, but has only changed its name to disguise its real identity.
Guyana, Jagdeo said, must not return to the ‘dark days’ of the PNC Government, pointing out that the hierarchy of the APNU+AFC Alliance comprises of old PNC champions.
Alliance Leader David Granger, PNC Executive Carl Greenidge and APNU General Secretary Joseph Harmon, he said, are the most prominent among the lot.
The agenda of the ruling party, he said, is to create an environment for growth and development to flourish, not being obstructionist, opportunistic and destructive as the APNU and AFC.
Taking a jab at the Alliance Deputy Leader and AFC Executive Moses Nagamootoo, he said that Nagamootoo in the lust for power is hardly aware that he is being used by Granger to do his (Granger) bidding.
Nagamootoo had promised Granger to deliver 11 per cent of Indian votes to the APNU so that the PPP/C will be voted out of office.
The PPP/C has described the promise as disrespectful, contending that Nagamootoo is bartering his supporters for personal gain.

BEING USED
Jagdeo said Granger needs Nagamootoo, but does not hold him in high regard, pointing out that Granger had rejected Nagamootoo’s candidacy for Speaker of the National Assembly following the 2011 Regional and General Elections.
At the time, he said, Granger maintained that Nagamootoo cannot be trusted, choosing AFC Leader and former PNCR Executive Raphael Trotman instead for the post.
These are not the people who should be trusted Jagdeo said, stressing that they are not interested in the development of Guyana, but are hungry for power, and if elected will do anything with it as they had done when they had it.
He said it is no surprise that the Alliance is making big and wild promises, promising from “cars to donkeys”, but said, the electorate should look at their track record.
PPP/C NOT ABOUT PROMISES
It is one that sunk Guyana, he said, compared to the PPP/C which has revived the country to the extent where Guyana is recognised as one of the fastest growing economies in the Caribbean, enjoying nine years of continuous growth.
The PPP/C, he said, is not about promises, but is about making things happen and creating a better life for all Guyanese, regardless of their race, religion and political persuasion.
REAL PROGRESS
And the development is there for all to see. New schools have been built, more hospital and health centres constructed, the vast majority of the population own their own homes, the country has new roads, bridges, modern infrastructure and more Guyanese own their own vehicles more than any time before in the history of the country.
From 1992 to now, he said, the PPP/C Government has distributed some 100,000 house lots, more than 130,000 more persons have access to electricity, some 800 locally-trained doctors have been added to the health care system and scores of young engineers, experts in the field of agriculture and Information Technology who have been trained overseas, have returned and are serving Guyana.
This, he said, is in addition to thousands of youths who are being trained in the field of entrepreneurship, so that they can gain a skill that will make them employable or embark on establishing their own business.
These gains and freedoms they enjoy today, he said, should not be eroded, as he urged supporters to not be intimidated by the APNU+AFC Alliance, which is trying to terrorise them, so that out of fear they will stay away from the polls on May 11.
CONVINCING MAJORITY
Jagdeo called on all PPP/C supporters to unite and bring out their families, friends and neighbours and ensure that they vote on May 11, pointing out that the PPP/C must not win by a margin but by a convincing majority.

By Tajeram Mohabir