“Trust” is the PPP’s election campaign pillar, but be vigilant of opposition- Jagdeo

Last Updated on Sunday, 23 March 2025, 21:35 by Writer

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), Bharrat Jagdeo on Sunday said his party was confident of winning this year’s general elections and the electorate would be asked to choose who they “trust”, even as he warned supporters not to underestimate the opposition’s quiet campaigning.

“The elections are going to be clearly about who people can trust,” he told party faithful at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant, Corentyne, where a PPP rally was held to commemorate the life and work of the governing party’s late founder-leader, Dr Cheddi Jagan. He said even if the opposition formed a coalition, it could not win the 2025 elections because it was unrepentant, “you took away benefits” from Guyanese and harassed them. “You think they are going to be fooled by these promises? Nonsense! Nonsense!” he said.

The turnout was officially estimated at more than 10,000 persons.

He said government kept its promises by returning the children’s school grants, delivering 40,000 house lots, creating 60,000 new jobs, returning Joint Services’ bonus, removing 200 taxes, reviving the sugar industry, removing taxes on miners, reemploying 1,000 workers in Linden and supporting the prices for paddy and fertiliser.

“People know that this a trustworthy party… Every group of Guyanese, regardless of their race, have seen that the PPP stands by its word, that our word is our bond and when we make these promises that President Irfaan Ali spoke about, in the next term, you bet that they will be delivered,” Mr Jagdeo said. Those include the new Berbice bridge, a new municipal airport at Rose Hall, a synthetic track, a hospital, a medical school, a new four-lane road to Moleson Creek. Dr Ali also said there would be a new gas development in Berbice, a deep-water port, an industrial hub, a logistics hub, a digital school and a national hospitality institute.

Mr Jagdeo, also Guyana’s 2nd Vice President, sought to discredit the opposition’s promise to offer a 200 percent increase in public sector wages and salaries. In apparent response to concerns that government was not spending sufficient oil revenues on ordinary people, he said 60 percent of the budget was not from oil revenues, and if the opposition were to attempt to keep its promise if elected “they don’t have any other money” for social and physical infrastructure and pensions. “It is unsustainable, it’s stupid,” he said. Instead, the government was focussing on providing quality education, healthcare, access to housing, jobs and security.

While expressing confidence that the PPP would win all future elections because it is multi-religious and multi-racial, he warned party supporters against being complacent because the opposition was invisible. Instead, he challenged Guyanese to work every day to ensure their party secures an “overwhelming victory” at the next elections. “If you grow arrogant and if you don’t put in the hard work, we can have surprises. They are invisible, they’re not doing much but quietly, they continue to spread the racist messages they have grown accustomed to in campaigning,” he said. The PPP General Secretary said the opposition was saying that his party was racist and at the same time attacking Afro-Guyanese was supporting the governing political organisation. “They are trying to shame Afro-Guyanese who have consciously seen this party as the only party of the future. They’re trying to shame them by calling them names to keep them away from us because they know once we grow stronger in the Afro-Guyanese communities, the PPP becomes even more invincible than we are today,” he said.

President Ali, who would be contesting for a second and final term in keeping with Guyana’s Constitution, said PPP supporters must be conscious about their values. He used the opportunity to tell party faithful that they could not expect favourable treatment because they contributed to the PPP. “If one believes that they can make a contribution to the PPP and by making such a contribution, the PPP must defend every wrongdoing or any wrongdoing, they are mistaken. That is not the philosophy of the People’s Progressive Party,” he said. He said the PPP could not be “bought or sold or traded” and instead was connected to Guyanese. Those who embrace the PPP, he added, were volunteers.

Dr Ali’s comments came against the backdrop of city businessman, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed saying a few weeks ago that he had contributed to the PPP and helped Dr Jagan to return to office in 1992. Mr Mohamed and his son, Azruddin, were very closely associated with the PPP before the businessmen were sanctioned last year by the United States (US) for alleged tax evasion related to gold sales.

They have not been charged with such offences in Guyana. The Guyana government had asked the US to send information that could help local investigators.