–Dr. Jagdeo firmly states; condemns Norton’s ‘dangerous’ comments

ANY act of violence will be met with the full force of the law, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said in response to Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton’s recent hints at possible violence during the 2025 General and Regional Elections.

During a press conference at Freedom House on Thursday, Dr. Jagdeo referred to Norton’s hints as “dangerous”.

“This call for violence, you have to watch it seriously. And let Norton not delude himself, any act of violence will be met with the full force of the law,” Dr. Jagdeo firmly said.

The PPP General Secretary said that the People’s National Congress (PNC)/A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has a history of resorting to violence whenever they lose elections.

Speaking more on the actual turnout at the PNC’s recent rally, he said: “It was a bad showing… And you notice the demographics there; there were hardly any young people…”

The PPP General Secretary said the reason that the crowd, which braved the rainy conditions, lacked a youthful presence is because of the party’s “hate” rhetoric.

“Young people are intolerant to that; even if they had showed up there, the rhetoric of hate and the rhetoric of the past would not have resonated well with them,” he said.

Notwithstanding this, Dr. Jagdeo said that this did not deter Norton from continuing to head down his usual path.

During Norton’s speech to the crowd, the Opposition Leader hinted at underlying repercussions for those who exercised their democratic right and voted for the PPP/C.

He said: “When we were in government, I remember David Granger saying, ‘We didn’t ask you which political party you support; We kept you to work. All we want you to do is to serve the people.’ Many of them sabotaged us; I’m saying to you that won’t happen again.”

Norton said, too, that persons who own land within the Co-op Society should “fight” the PPP/C administration.

“Anytime the PPP attempts to take it, we should fight them,” Norton said as he further remarked that there must be new forms of “struggle” which, according to him, could not be discussed at the rally, which was being aired live.

He said: “We have to get some new forms of struggle that we can’t discuss here; they [the government] must just feel it.”

Dr. Jagdeo said that Norton’s statements are a contradiction of the Opposition Leader’s claim of wanting to promote unity.

“But we know that it is difficult for Norton to hide his true feelings,” the PPP General Secretary remarked.

Despite the Opposition using this sort of narrative as a means to recruit political support, Dr. Jagdeo said that the PPP/C will continue to roll out equal opportunities for all Guyanese.

He also said: “We believe, contrary to what Norton believes in, that all the people of this country deserve an opportunity to enjoy this basic threshold; this minimum threshold and prosperity.”

Dr. Jagdeo added: “We will work to ensure that every child; every person can have that opportunity… We will never use the litmus test of politics in recruiting people in the public service.”

He also challenged the Opposition Leader’s call for Guyanese to tell their “neighbours” how bad life is under the PPP/C administration, and stated that this shows that many persons enjoy the current incentives being rolled out by the current government.

Norton said: “You can go and talk to your neighbour; talk to your friend, let them know that life under the People’s Progressive Party is worse than under APNU+AFC.”

In response, Dr. Jagdeo said: “Now if you have to tell your neighbour how things are bad… as though like your neighbours don’t have the capacity to make their own judgement,” adding that the measly turnout at the rally is because Guyanese do not share the view that “things are bad”.

From pension increase, the restoration of the ‘Because we Care’ grant to joint service bonuses, among other measures, the PPP General Secretary said Guyanese will tell the Opposition a “different story”.