Jagdeo confident PPP will regain power

…“total incompetence” Opposition Leader says in describing Govt

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said that given the unfolding over the last ten months, he is confident the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) would make a successful bid at the next general and regional elections.

The former President was speaking to party stalwarts and supporters on Sunday at the Babu Jaan, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice commemoration ceremony of the life of Dr Cheddi Jagan.

He said based on what has transpired in Guyana over the last ten months, since the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government took office, there was no doubt the party would win the next General Elections.

“People have a fear that the elections of the future will not be fair. If the PPP was in office and the PNC [People’s National Congress] led coalition rigged the 2015 elections, now that they are in government what will they do?”

He also addressed some of the issues which the PPP/C had been focusing on in recent weeks, including the National Budget, crime, and the economy.

According to Jagdeo since the 2015 elections, there has not been any major investment in Guyana. “In fact, many investors have pulled out of the country,” he said while adding that the economy has come to a standstill.

He said as it relates to the economy, it is projected that in 2016 the manufacturing sector will show a 0.7 per cent growth and this is because of two new gold mines which were established under the PPP/C.

“The agriculture sector will show negative growth. The construction sector will be stagnant… every sector will remain stagnant or register a decline, Jagdeo, an economist, predicted.

He noted that in the 2016 National Budget there is no help for the fishing, mining, construction, retail trades and agriculture sectors.

Jagdeo said the new administration is clueless as to where it is taking Guyana. “Total incompetence,” were the words he used to describe the government.

He said the budget has a list of new taxes which are all geared to make life harder for the small citizen. According to him, many rice farmers were fooled by promises made by the Coalition during the lead-up to the last election.

Rice farmers were promised large sums per bag of paddy should the coalition win those elections. “Where is Nagamootoo now? He should have gone to Essequibo to campaign for the Local Government Elections. He can’t come to Berbice or go to Essequibo to talk to farmers, so he gone to North America…” Jagdeo highlighted.

Speaking of crime, the former Head of State said the PPP has submitted a nine-point plan to the government on ways to tackle crime. “When we were in power and there was the Linden uprising they wanted Rohee to resign, now there are the deaths at the prison, why doesn’t Ramjattan resign,” he asked.