–Dr. Jagdeo says opposition parties’ manifestos lack ‘depth,’ filled with ‘vague promises’

THE ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C) vision for Guyana targets modernising the country, bolstering public services and holding institutions accountable, according to PPP General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.

The General Secretary made these remarks during a Thursday press conference at Freedom House, Georgetown.

Dr. Jagdeo reflected on the formal manifesto launch held earlier this week and noted that the presentation was no surprise, as the PPP/C, during its numerous engagements with citizens outlined its plans for Guyana.

The PPP/C’s plans for Guyana stands out from opposition parties’ manifestos, he said, noting that his party’s own is detailed, while the opposition is filled with “vague promises” and lacks depth.

Dr. Jagdeo said that the PPP/C’s strategy is supported by extensive policy frameworks and sets out the overarching vision of how the government plans to further develop the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), a 10-year infrastructure roadmap, and detailed plans for education, healthcare, agriculture diversification, tourism, the oil and gas sector and other areas.

He said: “…It’s (PPP/C manifesto) qualitatively different than any other political party and their so-called manifestos, because what we have seen from all of those who have put out manifestos would be just declaration of intent, and a lot of vague ways of addressing complex matters, and then a whole slew of promises of how they will spend the oil money.

“Their manifestos don’t have any depth because it’s not grounded in rigorous economic analysis. And that differentiates us.”

The PPP/C has three main pillars of focus for the next five years, according to Dr. Jagdeo.

First, the transformation of the society into a modern, competent and efficient society where citizens can access services easier and be able to generate opportunities that are qualitatively different and remunerate them at a higher level.

Dr. Jagdeo said that a digital society is crucial for sustainability and for long-term prosperity.

The second focus is addressing community-based issues such as drainage, while the third, is the individual growth of citizens and ensuring they get more from the state.

He said: “You would see a major part of our society modernising, changing before our very eyes as, as you’ve seen over the last five years, and then our communities changing right across the country, and then individuals who may be living in poverty, etc., or have more difficult circumstances, they get direct help from the state.”

Strengthening partnerships with civil society, religious groups, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to tackle issues such as child protection, domestic violence, and youth development, while enhancing laws against discrimination and racial division is also a focus.
Fighting corruption is also on the agenda and that is why in the manifesto a special unit will be created to do that, he said.

There will also be accountability across the board.

“Too many people are waiting for a long time to have their cases heard and their lives are on hold. So we expect that to happen, the police while they’re doing a good job, they need also in many areas to be more accountable to people,” he said.

This also applies to local government bodies, he stated.