–Dr. Jagdeo says; points out that PPP’s promises are grounded in reality

THE opposition’s desperate bid to fool the electorate with its grandiose promises, which include billion-dollar handouts, has not escaped the attention of People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, who has slammed officials for resorting to reckless populism to pull votes.

He made these remarks during a press conference on Thursday at Freedom House, Georgetown as he called out the opposition for just spewing whatever sounds good, while ignoring whether their promises are economically sane.

For the past week, opposition factions have beefed up their churning out of pledges, and according to Dr. Jagdeo, political parties can put anything on paper.

He emphasised that the A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) placed unrealistic plans in its 2015 Manifesto, and reminded Guyanese of the glossy plans which included a 100-day plan that turned into five years of job losses, sectoral collapses, and over 300 taxes for the citizens.

Now, with fresh elections on the horizon, the General Secretary, who also serves as Guyana’s vice-president, has highlighted that the opposition is once again reaching for the sky, with no economic ladder to even climb.

“They can make extravagant promises that have no basis in economic reality. But this is happening, and they’re putting this out. APNU has put out a series of things that they plan to do. We dealt with that before, that there is no macro-economic framework in which to situate the promises, there is no sustainable framework to situate the promises in,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

“They have not defined their taxation policy, the fiscal policy, the monetary policy. They just make these wild promises, and often the promises are based on how much more they can offer than the PPP,” he added.

Unlike the opposition, he said, the PPP’s promises are grounded in reality. The evidence is not conjured from slogans, but etched in the daily realities of thousands of Guyanese families.

Over 60,000 new jobs have been created since 2020, reversing the painful job losses of the previous administration. Public servants have seen their wages rise, old-age pensions have doubled, and more than 40,000 families now hold the keys to house lots that were once out of reach.

Students and young professionals have benefitted enormously, too, with nearly 30,000 Guyanese having been awarded fully-funded GOAL scholarships, while free university education has become a reality for many.

From less taxes to the continued expansion in education, health and socio-economic programmes, the PPP/C’s 2025-2030 Manifesto has laid out the backbone of a transformational second term; one built on continued performance, and not hollow promises.

The party’s consultation for its Manifesto sends a clear hit to its challengers: What do you stand for besides slogans?

President Dr. Irfaan Ali and PPP General Secretary Dr. Jagdeo are thinking beyond mere extraction and expenditure, and instead, are focused on building on the country’s already diversified economy during their next term in office.

Fuelling further economic growth, further job creation, and improving the livelihoods of citizens even more are among some of the plans laid out in the summary of the PPP/C’s 2025-2030 Manifesto.

The PPP/C has pledged to introduce a special financing window for women and persons with disabilities through the Development Bank.

The government has also promised to create job opportunities for persons with disabilities and expand education and home-based healthcare services.

Establishing a Development Bank to finance Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), opening up 100,000 acres of arable land for cultivation, constructing and upgrading farm-to-market roads and expanding the drainage and irrigation systems are some of the plans the PPP/C has in store for its next term in office.

Also, the new PPP/C government will ease the tax burden, and among some of its plans is the lowering of taxes for four-door pickups.

Additional cash grants for families and individuals will be granted in the PPP/C’s next term.

Since assuming office in 2020, the PPP/C government has taken the agricultural sector off the backburners of development and in its 2025-2030 manifesto they are promising to continue on this investment and expand the support.

Continuing direct support to farmers, whether it be through planting material, breeding stock or fertiliser has been outlined by the PPP/C along with co-investing in agro-processing hubs and making more land available to small and medium-scale miners.

Further, in its next term, the party says it will maintain a favourable fiscal regime, and impose no increases in royalties, no tributors tax, and no Value-Added Tax (VAT) on heavy machinery.

Community-based businesses and jobs will also be created under new PPP/C government.

On the entertainment side, the PPP/C in the new term will give cash grants to artistes to improve their skills.

There will also soon be a law to guide importation of foreign workers amid the current labour shortage.

There will also be the continuation of land titling and demarcation along with increased support for Amerindian village development, the PPP/C has outlined, adding that more Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hubs will be introduced.

Creating greater opportunities for participation by youths in government and private sector, ensuring full access to education and skills training and expanding investments in sports and recreational facilities are among the PPP/C’s plans.

While youth empowerment has been a subject matter that has been talked up by many parties, the PPP/C’s track record has backed up its promises to the youth as the opportunities for the leaders of tomorrow have been increased.