Written by Leroy Smith
NO political party in the world can achieve anything without its supporters and the fact that persons turned up to be part of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Rally on Sunday shows that there are those who want to ensure that the PPP/C continues to lead the nation.

This is according to Former President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo during his address to those gathered at the PPP/C 21st anniversary rally on the Lusignan tarmac, East Coast Demerara, Sunday evening.

Jagdeo told the supporters that the party was celebrating the work of the supporters who have been making all the sacrifices necessary to keep the party functioning and in government.

CONVERSATIONS
The former head of state said that what the party needs to do now to ensure that it holds its ground is to engage the supporters in conversations. While they lament about the small things which affect them such as pot holes and drains in front of their yards which are genuine concerns, they should also be reminded that the party during its 21 years in government has been ensuring bigger problems are solved.

ACHIEVEMENTS
He highlighted the transformation of cane fields into housing schemes and the creation of jobs with the construction of several new facilities in the various sectors and the ongoing projects. Where the country was, where it is, and where it is poised to go, are things that need to be part of the conversations which party activists and organizers need to include in their discussions.
Jagdeo maintained that judging the PPP in its 21 years in office should be done based on how the party has transformed the country. He said that one of the problems of being in government as long as the PPP has is that sometimes persons forget the achievements.

When the achievements are forgotten it is then that the crooks of the past try to portray themselves as the heroes of today and many of them are using certain newspapers as their platforms in their agenda. They are now speaking of freedom and what is sad is that the PPP supporters who have forgotten the struggles of the party are caught up in this.

He described the younger generation who have grown up under the PPP as the ones who will continue to be more affected by the crooks of the past, hence the need for conversations, dialogue, enlightenment and education by the older folks of the party.
He recalled that back in the early days of the party in government, the cries of the Guyanese people was about health care and today that call has been changed to better quality health care. He explained that when there was no healthcare people called for it and now that it has been provided they are seeking its improvement and the PPP has been doing just that, improving the healthcare system. Jagdeo made reference to the many doctors currently in the system as compared to 150 in the past.
However, the former president admitted that while the claims that the cost of living might be too high, the PPP is still trying to fill a deep hole left by the government prior to 1992 and which after the PPP came into power began supporting criminals to bring the administration down.
Jagdeo also took a swipe at fierce government critic and a critic of national projects Raymond Gaskin who claims to be an economist. Jagdeo said that the only success of Raymond Gaskin was to run a bicycle shop.