-Dr Jagdeo says; underscores PNC-R’s lack of strategies, experience

WHILE blasting the opposition for their “wishy-washy” statements they disguise as policies, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has stated that in order to have a policy debate, one first needs to have strategies along with the experience.

At the time, the PPP General Secretary was responding to Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, who said that he has not replied to the PPP’s invitation to have a policy debate.

Despite the attempts by Norton to flex his proverbial muscles by stating that the opposition has a development plan, Dr Jagdeo, during his weekly press conference, spared no effort to prove that apart from their rhetoric, these opposition operatives lack policy-making experience.

“Now to have a policy debate, you have to have a policy and they [PNC-R] don’t have policies on any of these issues. You think the wishy-washy kind of statements by Norton can translate into policies?” the PPP General Secretary firmly asked.

Dr Jagdeo then went on to say: “Even if you want to stretch your imagination to the limit, you can’t in any fashion characterise the ranting and the nonsense that he speaks as policies.”

The PPP General Secretary also highlighted that some of the opposition members present at their press conferences never even held senior positions in government, but were juniors.

Moreover, Dr Jagdeo pointed out that his party has its policies outlined in several documents such as the National Development Strategy (NDS).

In 1993, the then President, Dr Cheddi Jagan, approached the Carter Centre seeking assistance in the formulation of his brainchild, the NDS. The Carter Centre agreed to provide both financial and technical assistance in the preparation of a first draft, which was published in 1996.
Notably, the main opposition party objected to the document being put forward as a national strategy.

The NDS was developed to eliminate poverty, diversify the economy, bring forth economic growth, achieve geographical unity, etc.

‘WINGING IT’

Turning his attention to the opposition’s failure to carry out its promises, Dr Jagdeo said: “Who would believe anything that APNU promises now? You recall they promised a lot…”

Reflecting on the APNU+AFC 2015 manifesto, which included a number of promises, the PPP General Secretary highlighted that barely any were fulfilled within their five-year stint in office.

To put things into perspective, on the subject of job creation, in 2017 the former APNU+AFC coalition government had announced the closure of several sugar estates across the country, leaving thousands of persons without jobs or sources of income. The move saw four sugar estates being closed and over 7,000 sugar workers losing their jobs.

However, with Guyana’s economy back on its feet and citizens being able to embrace its abundant benefits, since assuming office in 2020, more than 50,000 people have become employed under the PPP/C government.

Additionally, since the PPP/C assumed office, tax reforms have formed part of the government’s wider agenda to improve the quality of life in Guyana and address immediate economic challenges that affect Guyanese.

These include the removal of VAT from water and electricity, building and construction materials, basic food items and household necessities, with which the previous APNU+AFC government had burdened Guyanese.

While continuing to flay the opposition, Dr Jagdeo pointed out the change in rhetoric that often occurs in the PNC-R camp.
“This is what I’m telling you about, no coherence in thinking, in strategy, in policy. They go on a weekly basis to the press conference and they wing it,” the PPP General Secretary said, while referencing two news articles which showed the change in tune by the opposition.