–Dr. Jagdeo emphasises, says opposition parties lack proven track record

HIGHLIGHTING several malpractices and the blatant disregard for the law from 2015-2020, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary and Guyana’s Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday said that this period under the A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government was the most corrupt in Guyana’s history.

Dr. Jagdeo, during his weekly news conference, while responding to critics from the opposition, countered claims of corruption and pointed to the coalition’s lack of a track record.
“After making all the lofty promises that they did, after claiming that they were not corrupt, and they were clean and they had all the plans to change Guyana, we now realise that period was a period when in which we had the most corruption in our entire history,” the General Secretary said.
During the coalition’s tenure in government, Dr. Jagdeo pointed out that the administration had bypassed the procurement process, giving contracts to companies that were aligned to their party.

The General Secretary further noted that the critics and sections of the local media have failed to acknowledge the blatant malpractices, pointing to the suspension of the country’s procurement process.
“That was the situation then… If you look today, in spite of all the talk about procurement problems under the PPP, it is transparently done; people bid for projects, they may not be happy with the process but they have a means that is in the act to protest,” Dr. Jagdeo pointed out.
The PPP/C Government has been working to address the challenges and shortcomings within the local public procurement process. The government, he said, has been engaging stakeholders to improve the process.

Shifting his attention to the country’s Integrity Commission Act, Dr. Jagdeo pointed out that PPP/C ministers had continuously complied with the Integrity Commission Act since 2,000, including filing statements of assets and income.
He noted that Aubrey Norton, the leader of the opposition, has not complied with these demands.

The General Secretary highlighted too that there is evidence that points to large-scale land transfers without financial compensation and awarding contracts to companies associated with coalition members.
Dr. Jagdeo, while defending his government’s efforts to boost transparency and better the lives of citizens, said that in the past four years, the PPP/C administration has been making progress across all sectors, improving the delivery of healthcare, education and advancing public infrastructure.
According to Dr. Jagdeo, the PPP/C Government has restored hope to the Guyanese populace and will continue to fulfil its mandate of service to the people.