GENERAL Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo left no doubt about which party can take Guyana forward as he framed his party as the only choice, pointing to its transformative tenure in office as evidence.
Speaking to a roaring crowd at the party’s Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) rally, Dr. Jagdeo reminded residents that their future and their children’s future rest in their hands.
With elections looming on September 1, Jagdeo delivered a blistering rallying cry, declaring his party the sole political force capable of safeguarding Guyana’s future and uniting its people.
“So, when you vote on the 1st of September, please ensure that you don’t be misled…the future of our country is in your hands, your children’s future. You have to vote for a party that you can trust, and the only way you know if you can trust the party is based on track record,” Jagdeo said, positioning the PPP/C as the only choice.
“We reject those who (try to) divide our people,” Jagdeo further stated, while pointing out that the PPP is the only party that brings together people of every race.
Without restraint, Jagdeo ripped into the opposition, branding the parties as unfit to lead. Starting with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Dr. Jagdeo pointed out how the top brass lacks any policy-making abilities.
“How could you ever entrust the future of our country, of your children, in the hands of people who have absolutely no experience? You will not hire them to run a small business you have, much less run our country,” he said.
Embattled businessman Azruddin Mohamed is no exception, the General Secretary noted, highlighting the sanctions from the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), yet continues to parade publicly without offering any plans for Guyana’s development.
He contrasted the PPP’s competitors with the party’s “tried and tested” leadership — from President Dr. Irfaan Ali to Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips — stressing that President Ali commands global respect and has safeguarded Guyana’s territorial integrity.
“The choice is very clear. On September 1, you have to elect the People’s Progressive Party that is tried and tested and that has great leadership,” he said.
The General Secretary then went for the opposition’s track record in office, stating: “In 2015, the miners supported APNU overwhelmingly. What did they promise? They promised to remove all taxes from mining. They increased the royalty, they increased the tributor’s rate, then put the value-added taxes on machinery and equipment, even to bring gas or to take gas into the interior, you have to get special permission.
“People had to bring out their equipment to get the license for it. Mining practically died. Under the PPP, we promised to reverse all of those. The first thing we did, we remove the tributor’s tax totally. We removed the taxes on machinery and equipment, and we reduced the royalty rate back. And today, the mining industry is prospering.”
Jagdeo also reminded residents of the neglect Amerindian communities faced, citing the termination of thousands of Community Service Officers (CSOs) by the coalition government and recalling an incident in which an APNU+AFC parliamentarian insulted the Indigenous people.