PEOPLE’S Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo has cautioned Guyanese not to be duped by the opposition’s lofty list of promises which has no supporting plans.
Jagdeo, during his weekly press conference at Freedom House on Thursday, was referring to the campaign fliers that are being posted by the two main opposition political parties, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Alliance For Change (AFC).

With elections to be held this year, the General Secretary stated that there will be a growing desperation and the continued rolling out of promises by these parties, which they have no intention of fulfilling their commitments.
Jagdeo, however, emphasised that this is not new for the Opposition, as in 2015, the PNCR/AFC went to the electorate with the promise of a “Good Life For All Guyanese” but, this was anything but true.

As the opposition continues to roll out promises regarding continued spending, Jagdeo highlighted that there is always promises on expenditure but no talks of diversifying the economy, in order to expand opportunities.
“They never, in a single way, talked about how the country will earn more, about the diversification of the economy, creating the incentives for investment that will expand job opportunities. None of that…. That philosophy is precisely what got us in the situation, in the 90s,” he said.
He then reflected on the period under the PNC, when Guyana was bankrupt and riddled with debt owing to the poor management of the economy.

Jagdeo added: “So this is the same philosophy, they can’t get away from it. They have never gotten it right, philosophically, particularly on the economic side, they are incapable of crafting a plan.”
However, in order to craft a plan for the nation, Jagdeo said that one needs to conceptualise which direction they want the country to head in.
He underscored that there needs to be a vision along with the technical work to see what sustainable policies and programmes are best to take the nation forward.

Jagdeo, who also serves as Guyana’s Vice-President, said that this critical component is absent in the opposition’s presentations.
“There is no plan. This is just a list of promises,” he then said.

LOFTY PROMISES
Jagdeo highlighted the recent post by AFC Leader, Nigel Hughes, in which he made a slew of promises to Georgetown residents.
“Obviously, they are trying to fool the people in Georgetown,” Jagdeo said.

In his analysis of the plans, Jagdeo brought up their demand for Georgetown cemeteries to be restored, a project the PPP/C is already working on.
“Anyone who believes this would need to have themselves examined because how can you allow yourself to be duped so often?” Jagdeo questioned.
Moreover, while the PNCR is promising to empower youths, Jagdeo highlighted that this promise is not new as they did the same in 2015.
Jagdeo reminded young people of the APNU+AFC’s stint from 2015-2020, and firmly stated that the PPP/C does not make promises but it is a party that delivers.

EXCLUSION OF YOUTH
It was the young people that were carrying APNU+AFC’s message in 2015, Jagdeo highlighted, but when the coalition entered office, those very youths were excluded.
“This just demonstrates that they can put anything on paper. The reality is that when they got into office, young people were totally excluded from the government,” the Vice-President said.
He then addressed the high unemployment rates and other struggles that the youths faced under the APNU+AFC and the-then administration’s nonchalant behaviour towards those very critical matters.

Unlike the Opposition, Jagdeo said that the PPP/C is not spewing political slogans but historically has fulfilled all of its commitments.
These include free university education, doubling old-age pension, returning the bonus to the Joint Services and reinstating the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant to children, to name a few.
Among the promises outlined by the opposition are pledges to guarantee every household a “livable income,” as well as commitments to have subsidised food, subsidised rent, and an increase in the old-age pension to $100,000.
“It’s the same vague promise they made in 2015, and it’s no different this time,” Jagdeo said.

In 2015, the APNU+AFC promised human and social development but instead Guyanese faced a burdensome period.
For instance, the APNU+AFC government hiked the salaries of its ministers but placed Value Added Tax (VAT) on electricity, water, basic food items, among other amenities when they were in office.
Guyanese also faced over 300 new taxes, which caused an immense strain on the backs of citizens.

While now the Opposition is promising a significant increase in pension, they did the same in 2015.
But, under the previous APNU+AFC government, the pension in 2015 moved from $13,125 to $17,000.
In 2016, it increased from $17,000 to $18,200 and in 2017 it went from $18,200 to $19,000.

Moreover, old-age pension increased from 19,000 to 19,500 in 2018; just $500 more. And in 2019, despite passing a $300.7 billion budget, the elderly only saw $1,000 more on their pension; the final figure being $20,500.
Putting the annual allocations into perspective, in the entire five years, pension only increased by a mere $7,375.