-Dr Jagdeo highlights Guyana’s diverse racial makeup in all three executive branches
THE Opposition’s attempt to mobilise Afro-Guyanese to paint the government in a bad light has been put on blast by the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and Vice President of Guyana, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo.
During a press conference on Thursday last at the party’s headquarters, Dr Jagdeo spoke on the recent visit by United States (U.S.) Congressman, Jonathan Jackson and said that the PPP/C government, as usual, had nothing to hide.

“When he came here, we know that, like the other groups that came from the U.S. or who were brought here by APNU, he will get the same thing from the PNC. They will orchestrate a few people who are their members of Parliament like in Mocha, the PNC activists and members of Parliament. They would tell the same lies about the government. Nothing new,” the PPP General Secretary stated.

The picture of division that the detractors of development sought to portray was destroyed as Dr Jagdeo noted that unlike the U.S., Guyana’s three branches of government possess diversity.
“…In the United States of America, in terms of representation in the government and various arms of the government, the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive branches of government, African Americans are not just a minority.

They’re practically absent from many areas in the United States of America.
“In Guyana, if you look at our Parliament, the judicial branch, or you look at the executive. You see the racial makeup of our country…”

Jagdeo questioned whether the opinions of Afro-Guyanese in Albouystown and South Georgetown are not valid in the eyes of those critics since they commended the PPP/C government for bettering their lives.
During Congressman Jackson’s visit to South Georgetown and Albouystown, residents stated that their lives have been transformed under the current government.

One woman praised the government for the massive investments in public works and for creating opportunities that result in putting more disposable income back into Guyanese pockets.
A young female contractor also stated “To be aligned with the PPP is nothing but love you receive and they are very family-oriented and they take care of your well-being.”

Further, Dr Jagdeo has spared no effort in highlighting the constant efforts by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to hoodwink Afro-Guyanese.
“Many people know we accuse APNU of racism and they managed in the past to do the reverse, to accuse the PPP of racism and when Cheddi Jagan tried to broaden the membership of this party even after all the trouble in the 60s, people stayed away from us because their [APNU] campaign of racism and fear resonated with people in their communities; fear of the other, fear of the PPP, fear that we will discriminate against Afro-Guyanese. So it kept a large number of people away from us because of these fears,” he said.

Dr Jagdeo said, however, that the potency of this tool has weakened and the fear is being eroded as the PPP is fighting to debunk the accusations levelled against it by critics.
“They’re not really in favour of Afro-Guyanese… so APNU wants to create a victim mentality among Afro-Guyanese…They don’t want people to grow. They don’t want Afro-Guyanese to get wealthier so [they] keep them not owning anything…”
He added, “I think they believe if Afro-Guyanese are not dependent on them, then they will stray from them ethnically and that is precisely why they don’t want people to own things, to get a good job, to keep them in this victim’s mentality.”