REAFFIRMING the PPP’s deep-rooted commitment to equality, General Secretary, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, made it clear that the party offers no apology for being a bold and unapologetic advocate for unity and inclusion across Guyana. Speaking at a recent press conference at Freedom House, he condemned the vile attacks directed at Afro-Guyanese citizens who have chosen to recognise the progress being made under the PPP and to support the party’s vision for the country.

“They’re (opposition) in panic mode, and they’re using this as a method to keep people away,” the General Secretary told reporters last week Thursday.

Dr. Jagdeo recounted a recent conversation in New York with a man who proudly identified himself as a staunch PPP supporter — a self-described “Jaganite.” The man, however, expressed concern that the PPP’s ongoing efforts to broaden its support base across all ethnic groups could eventually result in the marginalisation of Indo-Guyanese.

Dr. Jagdeo said he confronted that mindset head-on, challenging the individual to reflect on the true values of the party’s Founding Leader, Dr. Cheddi Jagan. He then reminded the supporter of Dr. Jagan’s firm stance: that a PPP government should never discriminate against any person based on race, religion, or political belief.

He went on to underscore the PPP’s decades-long struggle to gain acceptance in Afro-Guyanese communities — a struggle made harder by years of deliberate propaganda that falsely portrayed the party as ethnically exclusive. Despite these efforts to undermine it, the PPP never backed down, Jagdeo said, because Dr. Jagan’s words were never empty rhetoric. They represented a guiding philosophy — one that the PPP continues to uphold today.

“A whole range of lies about us. This worked for a while, and we said we will work to break down these stereotypes again. We’ll work harder every day…That is why in 2015-2020, we had the credibility to fight APNU when they were sending home sugar workers or targeting Amerindians,” the General Secretary said.

Ironically, the same man who was a self-proclaimed “Jaganite” ended up supporting the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Dr. Jagdeo stated. Nevertheless, he noted that the PPP base understands Dr. Jagan’s philosophy and the party continues to make inroads.

“We’re not AFC and APNU that carry different messages to different groups of racism, or people because they practise racism…So, this is important for us. Our party will grow…People of every race will feel comfortable. We get stronger every single day. And we’re not on the defensive, and our base understands this, that this is what is in our DNA.

“So, APNU is fearful of it, and because of the growth in the party, and a couple of people who were raising this concern, now they understand it, see the wisdom of the philosophy of the party, that you have to be a party for everyone. You have to treat everyone like family in this party, which is what we do,” Dr. Jagdeo further stated.