–Dr. Jagdeo pushes back against opposition’s claims made in Linden

PEOPLE’S Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has accused the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) of running a campaign built on “lies, fear, and racism.”

His statements come on the heels of the APNU’s rally held on Sunday in Linden.

Dr. Jagdeo during his weekly press conference at Freedom House on Thursday said that he thought the opposition would have used the opportunity to apologise to Lindeners for placing them on the backburners of development while they were in office from 2015-2020.

“Instead, they continue with the same negative campaign, a campaign of lies, spreading fears, and a campaign of racism. And this is all that APNU is doing now. It has nothing else in its arsenal to talk about,” he said.

Addressing APNU Leader Aubrey Norton’s claims that the governing PPP/C plans to remove Linden’s electricity subsidy, Jagdeo branded this as a “lie.”

“We went into government, we spent a long period in government, 20 odd years, and that subsidy was never removed. And in the past five years, we’ve spent billions of dollars in subsidising electricity in Linden. We were there in Linden and we promised the people of that community, Region 10, to continue development in their community,” he said, pointing to the plans to slash electricity prices by 50 per cent, nationwide.

Further, Dr. Jagdeo pushed back against Norton’s accusations that the PPP/C closed down the Charles Rosa School of Nursing.

Dr. Jagdeo said that enrolment had grown from just 19 students in 2019 to 379 today, with over 200 coming from Linden.

The General Secretary said: “How could you ever trust a man who will go on a platform, a public platform, and lie to the people of Linden, in Linden.”

Regarding the education sector, the General Secretary highlighted the stark contrast between the opposition’s dismal track record and what the PPP/C has done since August 2020, stressing that the current administration is now spending more than $700,000 per child, more than double the average tuition at private schools.

“We’re spending more on public education for our children,” Dr. Jagdeo said while also underscoring how the government is investing in teachers too.

He further pointed out that the opposition continues to spew unrealistic economic promises and chastise Afro-Guyanese PPP/C supporters.

In other areas such as agriculture, Region Ten is receiving more support from the PPP/C government, Dr. Jagdeo said.
The General Secretary also pointed to the development of housing, health, job creation and infrastructure within the region.