–Jagdeo assures residents of PPP’s listening nature; highlights track record of fulfilling commitments, fighting for freedom

By Bebi Shafeah Oosman 

CONCERNS raised during community engagements will be used to form future policies of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), General Secretary of the party, Bharrat Jagdeo said. The incumbent PPP/C, under the leadership of President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has maintained its engagements with communities since being elected to office in 2020.

This connection has allowed the party to tailor strategies and policies geared at improving the lives of citizens. During an engagement with residents of Corentyne, Region Six, on Saturday, Jagdeo affirmed that this approach to development will continue.
“Your concerns are going to be the future policies of the Peoples Progressive Party,” he said.

Jagdeo, who is also the country’s Vice President, expressed unwavering confidence in the PPP/C’s track record and vision for the nation’s future, emphasising the party’s commitment to enhancing the well-being of all citizens.

He said, “In my view, we would sweep these elections in 2025, we would win, we would win easily but we are not taking anything for granted.”
Jagdeo continued: “We owe it to everyone, our children, our future not to take things for granted” while stressing that the reason his party has grown stronger by the day is because “we have broaden our reach.”

He then reminded citizens that the PPP/C is a national party which welcomes people of every race and religion. Turning his attention to the development that has been taking place in every area across Region Six, he pointed out that the Corentyne highway is being transformed into four lanes, while a contract for a new bridge toll-free bridge across the Berbice River will be awarded soon.

Jagdeo said: “The floating bridge served us well for a period but now it’s time to transform it.”
In terms of community outreaches, Jagdeo stated, “When people stand up at a community meeting that the PPP holds, we don’t see that as a criticism of our party, we see that as an opportunity to resolve things that might be affecting our community.”

While at Number 48 Village, Corentyne, he said: “It’s a great thing that the PPP still has a strong support base and people still love our party for what it stands for, progress for all of our people, ensuring they can have lasting progress.”

He said this was something Dr Cheddi Jagan stood for and due to his ideals “we prevailed and we prevailed even in difficult times.”
Addressing the period between 2015 and 2020, Jagdeo said that when they lost the elections, people would visit him at home in buses and said that, “this country would have no future,” as the APNU+AFC’s economic philosophy was one that was defined by the PNC/R’s history which once led the country to bankruptcy while another major concern was there would not be another fair and free election.

“For our entire history, they stayed in office through rigged elections and people were right because in 2020 they sought to steal the elections again,” Jagdeo said, adding that the APNU’s mentality never changed as in 2020 they made such an attempt.

He said the AFC and others are still trying to “justify the stealing” although there was an independent COI that proved otherwise, and international observers which concluded that they tried to steal the elections.

“And all of that pressure (fight back against APNU/AFC) was led by the PPP. We didn’t even know, I did not know that so many of our people had pellet wounds in their bodies because they were shot in their bodies in Region Five when they came out to protest,” Jagdeo said.

He continued: “So when you talk about the PPP, we have a robust record of fighting for freedom and without that freedom, this would have been a different country today because of the callousness, the heartlessness of APNU’s management…”

Pointing to the sugar workers, Jagdeo said that they were sent home on the basis that they were labelled “PPP supporters.” He said: “Had the PPP not returned to office, Berbice would have been dead because the sugar income is what drove the disposable income for all groups of people.”

He said, there was an assault on the rice industry as well as inputs were taxed with no job creation effort in Region Six and other regions. Furthermore, he added, that even in regions controlled by the APNU+AFC there was suffering.

Jagdeo highlighted the significant strides made under the PPP/C government, emphasising the monumental investments poured into every sector. He underscored the administration’s commitment to long-term development, noting that substantial investments have been set in motion to drive future job creation.

“When we sit to plan, Berbice is important to the PPP/C,” he affirmed, reinforcing the government’s dedication to ensuring sustained economic growth for the region.
He said the APNU+AFC will come around in a “new form” but remains hopeless, as he reminded of the “betrayal” of Berbicians by Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan, who promised sugar workers an increase while campaigning and gave them nothing.

He added: “Nobody believes anything that they are going to say.”