IN an impassioned message to Guyanese ahead of the September 1 elections, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Sonia Parag has called on voters to cast their ballots guided by conscience and unity rather than division.

Appearing on the Starting Point podcast aired on Saturday, she highlighted the achievements of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government over the past five years, and warned against narratives aimed at fracturing the country’s multi-ethnic fabric.

“When you hit that polling station, and even before that, you have a lot of material and experience in all of the communities of what the PPP/C government has been doing over the past five years,” Parag said. “I don’t even think we need to have a huge comparison from 2015-2020 [under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government] for voters to be able to vote on their conscience.”

The minister stressed the importance of rejecting divisive politics.

“My one message would be to vote for your conscience; do not vote on any narrative that will seek to divide our country, communities, or our ethnicity. Our country is unique; we are proud to be Guyanese outside of this country; anywhere we go, because we are Guyanese, not because we are singly Afro-Guyanese, or Indo-Guyanese or Amerindian.”

She continued, “We are a beautiful country that is multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural. Any narrative that seeks to divide that is not a party/person that has your best interest at heart.”

Minister Parag went on to highlight the PPP/C’s long-standing record, referencing its 75 years of service to the nation. “Whether you want to look at us in the opposition, whether you want to look at us in the government, I tell people… there was a time when you didn’t have a health centre in remote areas. It was this government that actually started to place health huts in areas, and then they transitioned into health centres.”

Recalling the economic foundations laid by former President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, she noted that during his presidency, Guyana carried a significant per capita debt.

However, she noted that Jagdeo worked to pull the country out of that debt, and with the limited resources available at the time, steady progress was achieved nationwide.

Parag praised the current administration for its stewardship of the country’s new oil wealth.

She pointed to the use of oil resources to generate wealth, highlighting the construction of roads, the creation of jobs, and advancements in education and health.

Education, she noted, is now free from nursery to tertiary level, while the health sector has seen significant improvements, including the establishment of modern hospitals as clear evidence of progress.

She drew a sharp contrast between the PPP/C and opposition parties, cautioning voters against risking the country’s future on “all talks and zero experience.”

She referred to the leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, US-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, a political newcomer with security concerns, and questioned their ability to govern effectively.

She emphasised that it takes hard work and deliberate thinking to develop people-centred policies. “When you head to the polls on September 1, [remember] President Dr. Irfaan Ali has proven himself.”

She went further to praise President Ali’s leadership during his first term in office.

“His leadership has been phenomenal in the last five years. You know what you are getting in the next five years. You do not know what you will be getting from the other parties. Why gamble with your future? Why risk that? Why risk an entire country for something that you don’t know and for people who have not proven themselves to you, when they were given an opportunity to do so?”

The minister’s message conveyed confidence in the trajectory of national development under President Ali’s stewardship. She stated that significant progress has been achieved under the leadership of President Ali.