–Dr. Jagdeo says; points to party’s intention to always reject elements of division in the society

THE resounding success of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP)’s 32nd Congress has left detractors with “mental unease”, General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has said.
He made those remarks during his weekly press conference at Freedom House, where he set the record straight on several issues that have been peddled by PPP critics.

“I knew what was said before the Congress. Many of them were predicting bacchanal; they were predicting warfare, [and] they were predicting confusion. We had over 40 articles and social media posts from our detractors, particularly my detractors, urging people not to support me; not to vote for me,” he said, adding that there were messages to the delegates as to what they should and should not do.

Those attempts to disrupt the conference were, however, futile, the General Secretary said, noting: “I’m so pleased that in spite of the sustained attempt to steer people to a particular outcome, they’ve all failed, and our Congress, by any metric whatsoever, was a resounding success.”
While pointing out that it was an event of “substance”, Dr. Jagdeo addressed several critics who had much to say about the PPP’s congress.

The PPP General Secretary referenced a Tuesday article by the Kaieteur News’ ‘Peeping Tom’ which said that the Party’s delegates “squandered” an opportunity to address critical challenges facing the nation and the Guyanese people. He poured cold water on those claims, and proved otherwise.

“Well, clearly they did not know what took place at the Congress, because, apart from the televised activities, which was largely the opening ceremony and the presentation of the Central Committee Report, there were several workshops. And we have the reports from these workshops,” he said.

These workshops covered different areas such as Parliament, local government, the international situation, youth and gender, and the economic and social situation, to name a few.
“There has not been a single idea that has not been discussed in any one of these workshops combined,” he noted, while explaining that job creation, education, health, creating an equitable life by managing the oil resources prudently were some of the topics covered.

Further, the PPP General Secretary said that people reaffirmed the multi-ethnic nature of the PPP, and made suggestions as to how the Party can broaden its base along racial, religious, and other lines.
Addressing the criticism that the PPP has converted its weekly press conferences into a “sledgehammer”, Dr. Jagdeo said that attempts to distort the Party’s history or divide the Guyanese people along religious or racial lines will be rejected, and the PPP will come down on their heads with a “bulldozer”; not sledgehammer, as this has been happening for too long.

“We’re not going to be apologetic about that. Definitely I’m not going to be apologetic about it here,” the PPP General Secretary stated.
“One thing that this congress has done, apart from positioning the People’s Progressive Party to win the next elections, re-energising its activists and supporters… it has caused a major unhinging of the opposition; a kind of restlessness, mental kind of unease and maybe delusion,” he said.
Additionally, the PPP General Secretary set the record straight that the congress was funded entirely by Party funds.

UNHINGED
As Dr. Jagdeo stayed committed to addressing allegations which attempt to distort the PPP’s history, he addressed an opinion piece that was written by People’s National Congress-Reform (PNC-R) Executive Member Gary Best on Wednesday.
After reflecting on the period under the PNC-R, which motivated him to join politics and change the “dictatorship” leader style, the PPP General Secretary schooled Best.

“Now if anybody should show gratitude, it should be Gary Best,” he said while pointing out that even his own did not want him to become Chief of Staff.
Dr. Jagdeo added: “The PNC was opposed to it; every one of them. If anybody should show gratitude to the PPP, it should be Gary Best. But, as I said before, he is unhinged by the congress.”

Further, with Best purporting that the PPP’s congress’s results were perfect, and therefore, made the connection that rigging had to be involved, the PPP General Secretary said that this sort of logic shows his mindset.
“This tells you a lot about his mindset; that rigging is deeply ingrained in the psyche of the leaders of the People’s National Congress,” he said.