–Jagdeo condemns Norton’s disrespectful comments directed at Afro-Guyanese in Toronto, party’s race-baiting tactics

DESPITE its attempts to portray a genuine care for the advancement of Afro-Guyanese, the actions and words of the People’s National Congress-Reform (PNC-R)/A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) paint a different picture.

The party’s most recent attempt to undermine the value of Afro-Guyanese was condemned by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, who shared his views on recent, ‘disrespectful’ remarks made by Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton during a visit to Canada.

Jagdeo, during a press conference on Thursday, called out Norton for stating that the PPP/C pays Afro-Guyanese to “beat up” Indo-Guyanese at street protests.

The PPP General Secretary, who also serves as Guyana’s Vice-President, said: “Can you imagine? And they talk about bringing people together. First of all, he doesn’t have any respect for young Afro-Guyanese men. They would prefer if we do nothing to assist Afro-Guyanese in the country; they’d be the happiest group of people.

“They don’t want education; people to get scholarships, or these young people to be trained; or positively you can own something, own a plot of land or own a car or get a good paying job…”

While also pointing to the Alliance for Change (AFC), which pushes the same narrative as PNC-R/APNU, Jagdeo highlighted the clear message being echoed by the Opposition, which is to keep young people, especially young Afro-Guyanese men, in the “victim mentality” state.

According to Jagdeo, the opposition’s lack of care and respect for Afro-Guyanese is no longer hidden, based on the Norton’s utterances.

“This is the sort of nonsense that we get in this day and age; and then they say they’re trying to bring people together,” he said, adding that one wouldn’t hear the PPP/C saying degrading things about Afro-Guyanese.

Jagdeo then called out the PNC-R and the AFC for stoking racism within Guyana, and their attempts to spread divisive messages among Guyanese.

“We’re (PPP/C) the only party that has made a genuine attempt to involve people of every race; every religion. And it’s happening every single day, even when we’re in office or out of office, we’ve maintained that position that we work for all of Guyana, and people of every race,” Jagdeo contended.

The PPP General Secretary has constantly put the Opposition on blast for its unbecoming attitude, and mistreatment of Afro-Guyanese, and flayed them for attempting to stymie the personal growth of citizens.

Earlier this year, Jagdeo had put the Opposition on blast for selectively highlighting issues that play on the emotions of their supporters, and neglect the broader progress made under PPP/C governance.

He addressed concerns about the alleged mistreatment of Afro-Guyanese under the APNU+AFC administration.

“Afro-Guyanese were some of the worst-treated people in the five years they were in office,” Jagdeo said.

Pointing to unfulfilled promises in regions such as Linden, he had highlighted the disparity between commitments made and the actual support provided to the citizens.

Jagdeo pointed to the disparities in promises made to regions such as Linden, especially the unfulfilled commitments to job creation and housing.

He argued that APNU’s focus was elitist; benefitting only a few individuals, while the majority of the country suffered.

Opposition parliamentarian Jermaine Figueira has even called out the party’s leadership for its myopic and irrational tendencies, and distanced himself from the party’s historic ‘dog-whistling, race-baiting’ political rhetoric.

“I will not participate in dog-whistling and race-baiting political tactics and campaigns designed to keep our people divided… [this] is evident in the two main political parties; this should stop,” the PNC-R politician said in a written response to several questions posed to him by this publication.

Norton had replaced Figueira, a senior member of the party, with an interim committee to lead the party’s Region 10 arm.

Figueira was also stripped of his portfolio as Shadow Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, and was replaced by Nima Flue-Bess.

This publication was previously informed that these decisions could have been fuelled by Figueira’s decision to go against Norton’s famous “handshake policy”, and shake the hand of President Dr. Irfaan Ali.

While Figueira did not confirm this directly in his responses, he stated: “I will not participate in infantile dictates such as not shaking someone’s hand, more so the hand of the President of my country.”