–Dr. Jagdeo says; rejects vilification PPP Afro-Guyanese are facing

THE Opposition’s weaponisation of race and intimidation to maintain its dwindling relevance in Guyanese politics has been called out by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, who rejected their attempts at dehumanising PPP Afro-Guyanese supporters.
With today being Emancipation Day, Dr. Jagdeo, during his Thursday press conference at Freedom House, reflected on the struggles and the paths that were created by our fore-parents, who had to endure the inhumane act of slavery.
“Don’t be deterred; don’t be demoralised by it,” Dr. Jagdeo told those Afro-Guyanese who are continuously facing attacks because they are exercising their democratic right of supporting a political party of their choice, in this case the PPP.
While pointing out that the PPP has remained steadfast in its mission to unite all Guyanese, Dr. Jagdeo highlighted that the opposition is opposed to a unified Guyana, and has long used racial and ethnic lines to divide the nation.
“For many, many years, the PNC stayed in office through rigged elections. And to do that, they had to keep the people divided, as Walter Rodney pointed out. And they used race to perpetuate that division,” he said.
He further explained that it is only around election time that different factions of the opposition remember especially Afro-Guyanese and youths, as even when in office, the APNU+AFC sidelined both of these groups.
According to him, many persons are coming to the PPP because of its track record and its performance, since all Guyanese, regardless of race or religion, are able to access opportunities in all sectors, such as education and housing, under his government.
Because of the massive support that the PPP is receiving, which transcends racial and ethnic lines, the PPP General Secretary said, the opposition believes that they can bully citizens into supporting them by calling them derogatory names such as “sellouts” or “slaves”.
“They believe they can beat people back to submission, using this racist ideology,” he said, adding, “They have nothing really to offer to anyone. Nothing! Absolutely nothing, except abuse!”
The General Secretary also called out AFC’s Nigel Hughes, who had criticised Afro-Guyanese contractors, and told them not to pledge loyalty to the PPP for the sake of opportunities.
“We see this as empowering people… Of course, we’d love them to vote for PPP, based on performance and their own empowerment,” Dr. Jagdeo said.
What was glaring, the General Secretary reminded Guyanese, is that while Hughes is criticising those Afro-Guyanese receiving contracts, his wife, Catherine Hughes, while serving as a government minister from 2015-2020, gave her company millions in contracts.
Former APNU+AFC Minister of Public Telecommunications Catherine Hughes had awarded her company, VideoMega Productions Limited, more than $6 million in contracts from the ministry she presided over between 2015 and 2020.
Dr. Jagdeo encouraged PPP supporters, who are from all walks of life, to not allow themselves to be bullied, and to continue to stand up for what they believe in.
“People are standing up now; it’s not the past [anymore],” he said.