FORMER President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has called on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to ensure that they deliver efficient elections come May 11.Speaking to a sizeable crowd during one of the incumbent party’s public meetings at Eccles, Dr. Jagdeo highlighted the importance of efficient elections, as he called on the international observers and presiding officers along with the help of GECOM to prevent wrongdoing on May 11.
Further stating that, “I saw the head of GECOM said that when I spoke of the stuffing of some ballot boxes in 2011 that it is a figment of my imagination… what I don’t get is that why when the PPP/C raises a concern, he talks about it and he cowards when APNU+AFC calls for something.”
This defensive mode of GECOM’s head will not be tolerated, because every vote matters and this can be proven because the PPP/C lost the majority by less than 6000 votes, as that was equivalent to the number of persons who did not turn out to cast their votes at the 2011 elections.
According to the prominent PPP/C member, the APNU+AFC’s presidential candidate has been telling persons at their rallies that the PPP/C rigged elections from 1992 to 2011. On the other hand, the Opposition tell their supporters that the People’s National Congress (PNC) never rigged and that every election that the PPP/C won was rigged.

He told listeners at Eccles that how could they have cheated, when during those periods they had quite a number of international observers; therefore, the Opposition is trying to say that the observers cheated too.
Apart from that, he stated that, “Why is it that suddenly the voters’ list is a bad one, although they had three years to make their concerns known, and the only conclusion is that they are preparing their base for a defeat.”
“The Opposition is not only preparing them for a defeat, but also to say that we have cheated and they have to come on the street; but we need to ensure that the victory is not narrow, we have to come out in large numbers and we can win them comfortably, we can win them because we have remained faithful to the Guyanese people, we can account for our track record and compete for our vision, as we all know what is at stake,” voiced the former president.
Addressing the PPP/C’s loss of its parliamentary majority, Dr. Jagdeo highlighted the fact that the country was forced to mark time for three years, because the Opposition had a one- seat majority in Parliament and instead of using it to assist in the development of the country, they did the opposite and cut the budget for most of the development plans which the PPP/C had planned to implement.
“All our development was stymied, as the Opposition cut over $80B from the budget largely because of their vindictive nature,” he disclosed.
On that note, Dr. Jagdeo emphasised the fact that “the opposition is calling for change, but yet he disclosed, they opposed the Berbice Bridge, the National Stadium, the studens loan, the Amerindian Development Fund, the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, and I could list at least 30 things that they opposed … you don’t build a country when you are opposed to positive things.”
Meanwhile, apart from that, he told the gathering that APNU+AFC are saying that the PPP/C has been corrupt and were only filling their pockets and it is time for a change, but he added, “we have argued that we have been the change, we have changed a country that has been bankrupt to what it is today …today we have the lowest debt services ratio to revenue in the entire western hemisphere, moving from 4% to service debts from 90+% prior to 1992.”
He underscored the fact that the PPP/C took a bankrupt country and transformed it into one of the most progressive and dynamic countries in the Caribbean with nine years of continued economic growth.
GUYANA 2.0
That apart, Dr. Jagdeo touted the PPP/C’s recently launched manifesto, ‘Guyana 2.0’, which shows how the wealth created could go towards bettering the various sectors, noting that “we are pretty clear on where we are going, as compared to Opposition we have a superior track record.”
He spoke of the plans to expand the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), the Amaila Falls Hydro Project along with some other plans which will prove beneficial for the Guyanese population.
These areas are included in the central themes of ‘Guyana 2.0. The full list of issues includes: Economic Growth: Jobs, Income & Wealth Creation; Transformative Infrastructure; Enhancing the Well-Being of Our People; Fighting Crime & Protecting Our People; Fair Governance; and Guyana in a Modern World. The preview of the PPP/C manifesto details a vast number of policies and measures that are centred on these themes, which will be pursued.
He disclosed that “the Opposition cannot wish away the positive change,” as the developmental plans which the PPP/C has in store for Guyana will boost Guyana’s economy and other areas tremendously.
APNU MANIFESTO
Dr. Jagdeo also pointed out that there were contradictions within the so -called leaked APNU+AFC Manifesto, noting that one such contradiction is their plan which states that 100 days after being elected, they will make an economic plan.
He noted that they said they wanted to shut down the sugar industry and now they are saying that they want to support sugar.
He also told the gathering that the Opposition took sections from the Government’s plans…”some of which included our education plans, education plan, biodiversity plan,” just to list a few, as he further stated that, “I don’t mind them doing that but they do not have the frame- work for doing that.”
Dr. Jagdeo stated that the Opposition said that they’re going to use money that the PPP/C has, but he said they do not understand that we still have a budget deficit, and there is no money in the treasury and what they see is the money in the Central Bank, which is our international reserves; these amount to over US$800M, and “if they want to use that and if you use that to finance deficits, the exchange rates are going to go higher.”
In closing, he said to the large gathering that “We have a lot more to do together, as our vision of Guyana is one that is deeply grounded and will change the life of Guyanese. We know how much effort it takes to make changes; you can rest assured that every single day we’re going to work to make everything a possibility.”