Dr. Jagdeo says; laments that the Opposition Leader has outdated economic policies that cannot work in a modern society

MAINTAINING that their developmental plans for Guyana are based on realism and thorough analyses, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, rubbished claims by Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton, that the PPP is taking the opposition’s ideas for Budget 2024.

During his weekly press conference at Freedom House on Thursday, Dr. Jagdeo responded to statements emerging from the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R).
“Norton, we are not stealing your ideas. [The] ideas are dated too. If you listen to him, he is stuck in the 70s,” the PPP General Secretary said, stressing that Norton’s policies cannot be integrated into the current economic framework.

“I have not seen a workable, sensible, economic idea from the Opposition in decades,” he said, noting that the PNC/R through the APNU+AFC had a five-year run in office to implement their ideas.

Addressing the coalition government’s history, Dr. Jagdeo said: “They [PNC] don’t fit their ideas into a consistent framework. They don’t look at it from a macro perspective. They don’t look at the revenue sources, whether they can accommodate those ideas over long term and [if it is] sustainable…”
He then went on to expound on the transformative agenda that the government is rolling out to develop Guyana.

The PPP General Secretary emphasised that the government’s initiatives are aligned with and included in the party’s 2020 manifesto.
“[Our] promises were based on realism and analyses,” Dr. Jagdeo said, as he went into detail on the administration’s accomplishments.
He also revealed that the PPP/C Government is already planning Budget 2024, and has already engaged in a series of consultations with various trade unions from across the country.
The Federation of Independent Trade Unions (FITUG) for instance, during a consultation in October, proposed a number of proposals which the government welcomed.
The meeting between FITUG and the government highlighted the importance of prioritising the welfare of workers, and taking tangible steps to enhance their economic conditions as the country moves forward. Both parties expressed their commitment to collaborating for the betterment of all Guyanese citizens.