-Dr. Singh says during PPP/C’s rally in the Berbice River

THE village of Wiruni in the Berbice River, Region 10, recently warmly welcomed Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’ d) Mark Phillips, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh and other government officials during a visit to the hinterland community for a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) meeting as part of its election campaign in the run up to the September 1, 2025 elections.

The governing party has been on the ground in various communities since its return to office in August 2020. Indigenous communities have since benefitted from ramped up government programmes and projects. Additionally, Amerindian communities have received substantial financing through the PPP/C government’s sale of carbon credits under its ambitious Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

Addressing the crowd gathered, Dr. Singh explained that there are thousands of examples of why the People’s Progressive Party/Civic should be re-elected to office based on its track record. However, he chose to focus specifically on the government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

“We have been speaking about climate change, and it took a visionary leader in the person of the General Secretary of the PPP, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, now Vice President. I think the GS deserves a special round of applause,” Dr. Singh said as Wiruni residents applauded loudly.

The minister pointed out that it took Dr. Jagdeo to develop the LCDS and it is not just a strategy that is written on beautiful paper and printed with beautiful pictures, but it is a strategy that the Vice President has advocated for. It was pointed out that the strategy has now been taken up by President Ali with both he and Dr. Jagdeo advocating around the world, using it to mobilise resources, not only to help in the fight against climate change, but more importantly, to help finance economic transformation in Amerindian and hinterland villages.

“…and comrades, every single Amerindian village has received grants under the LCDS. No other political party has done this, and these grants are very substantial,” he added noting that Wiruni has received over a three-year period (2023-2025), a total of $54 million.

“The Region 10 Amerindian communities alone have received a total of $678 million and Amerindian communities countrywide over the three years have received a total of more than $14 billion, the biggest injection of financial resources into our Amerindian and hinterland villages,” Dr. Singh highlighted to loud cheers from residents.

He noted as well that government has convened year after year the National Toshaos Council (NTC) and have invited the villages’ elected leaders to develop village sustainability plans to articulate the priorities and the use of the money to finance those priorities and transform their villages.

“Because our President’s vision, our General Secretary’s, our Prime Minister’s and our government’s vision is that every single village must have a viable and competitive village economy run by you in your interest and for your benefit in your villages. You must be earning your own money, whether it be agriculture or tourism,” he said firmly as the crowd once more cheered in agreement.

DEVELOPMENT AND SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE

Dr. Singh acknowledged that the communities along the Berbice River are amongst the most beautiful places in Guyana and have tremendous potential, whether it be in agriculture or tourism and therefore, the government has provided every single village with a tractor and trailer and implements.

No other party, he said, has even come near to that, in terms of all that the PPP/C has done in Amerindian communities to assist them in growing their village economies and boosting their development.

The minister also noted the development that is taking place in the village including the construction of a new secondary school.

“I was delighted to see the school is under construction and this is only one example and indeed, a small example of thousands upon thousands of examples of promises that have been delivered by the PPP/C in this term alone.

He therefore urged the residents to ensure that on September 1 they all vote for the party to gain their biggest victory ever by putting their X next to the cup, the PPP/C’s election symbol.

“There is an unbreakable link between democracy and development and service to people. If you believe in democracy, meaning if you respect the right of people to elect a government of their own choice every five years, then you understand that every five years you have to come back to people to ask them for their vote and you can only credibly come back to people and ask them for their vote if you have spent the previous five years serving them and improving their lives, “ he said.

“If on the other hand you are a political entity that is a rogue and a rascal and you don’t respect the will of the people, instead you want to steal their right to vote for a government of their own choice, because you have some friend somewhere who will make up some numbers and hang up some bedsheet with his own numbers and you saw what happened in 2020, if you don’t respect the will of the people, and you don’t respect their right to vote for a government of their choice, then you will not serve the people, because you are not interested in winning their hearts and their minds and winning their votes, and that is what distinguishes APNU/ AFC/ PNC or whatever else they want to call themselves, from the People’s Progressive Party,” the Minister added.

In concluding, he said that with its sterling track record, the PPP/C respects the residents’ right to vote for a government of their choice every five years and thus, has spent every day of the last five years trying to improve the lives of Guyanese and serving them in every possible way.