PPP/C competitors worried about overwhelming support

The People’s Progressive Party has always enjoyed overwhelming support from Enmore, East Coast Demerara and this was clearly reflected in the large turn out at the PPP/C’s public meeting in the community on August 7.

Addressing the crowd were PPP/C Presidential Candidate Bharrat Jagdeo and Candidate Dr. Frank Anthony.

“With your support, enthusiasm and love that is demonstrated for the PPP/C over the years, nothing can stop us on August 28,” he told the jubilant supporters. Mr. Jagdeo told supporters that there are several small political Parties contesting the Elections with the aim of weakening the PPP/C’s support base. “They know the PNC [People’s National Congress] can’t win our votes so they have lots of small parties…their objective is to each take a little vote from the PPP/C so we would fall below 50 percent votes at the Elections,” he said. This he further explained, would prevent the PPP/C from having the majority of seats in the National Assembly and by extension, the Party would be forced to form a collation Government. He recalled that in 1964 the PNC and the United Force formed a coalition government which ousted the PPP from Office.

Mr. Jagdeo maintains that the Opposition parties’ plans and promises in this 2006 Elections campaign are all extracts of plans being implemented by his Administration which was restored to Office through free and fair Elections in 1992.

Touching an issue dear to Enmore, sugar, the Presidential Candidate committed to continuous struggle to save the industry because of its importance to the country’s revenue, employment for people and development. He told them of detailed plans to modernize the sugar industry, including a US$164M modernization project at the Skeldon Sugar Factory.

The PPP/C is committed to another term of hard work and improving the lives of Guyanese and that is why the Presidential Candidate sought a partnership with Enmore residents as the PPP/C seeks to be returned to Office. This was met with loud cheers and fervent pledges of support on polling day when the PPP/C will contest the General and Regional Elections with nine other Parties.

He urged that Guyanese judge the PPP/C by its record in Office, which proudly boasts significant progress in the education and health-care delivery, as well as in the areas of housing and water, the productive sectors and the economy. “I know some of you still have problems and we understand these, but please look at how we handled them in the context of what we were left with as a country,” he told the crowd. Mr. Jagdeo explained that Guyana inherited a foreign debt of more than US$2B and has repaid about US$1.1B. Additionally, through debt relief and debt repayments, government has managed to reduce the debt servicing to less than 20 percent as against the 94 percent it inherited from the PNC administration.

The area, a traditional stronghold of the PPP/C, was well decorated bearing the Party’s colours, yellow, red and black and posters of its Presidential Candidate and Prime Ministerial Candidate Samuel Hinds. Moving to the rhythms of the PPP/C campaign songs, supporters recalled the dark days under the PNC and the colonial masters when the sugar industry was dealt some severe blows and its workers, many of whom were from Enmore, were treated harshly. In those days, many of them were not given the right to vote, since persons could have only voted if they were literate. Many of the sugar workers could not afford education; hence they were denied the right to vote. This right was restored by the PPP/C government and according to Mr. Jagdeo “that is why we appreciate freedom. We have to say to them that we would never again go back to those days.”

He noted that the PPP/C competitors are uneasy with the high level of support the Party is receiving from areas that traditionally did not support the PPP/C. One such example is the large turn out to the PPP/C Rally held in Linden last Saturday, which was attended by more than 3,000 persons from Region Ten. “They are worried about seeing us in the large numbers… they are getting the shock of their lives,” he said.

Propagating his Party’s message of oneness and unification, the Candidate who is current President of Guyana, called on the people to spread the message in their communities. He reaffirmed the Party’s confidence that it will not only secure enough votes to win the Presidency, but to capture the majority in the National Assembly. The PPP/C’s campaign is largely based on its defence of the working class of people of all races and culture and Mr. Jagdeo urged his supporters to understand that they are not voting for a government that would support any one group, but one that would support every Guyanese regardless of his/her political affiliation or ethnic group.

Mr. Jagdeo confirmed that there is still a long road to travel to attain a desired level of progress in Guyana and pledged his government’s support to that journey. However, he noted that the task will be fruitless unless the people are involved and that is why they should fully participate in the electoral process and have their voices heard.

PPP/C Candidate Dr. Frank Anthony spoke extensively about progress recorded in the health sector, in contrast to the dilapidated hospitals and dark days under the former regime. He noted that the current administration is modernizing the health sector through improved services, infrastructure and training for medical personnel. Students are also benefiting from hundreds of scholarships. Dr. Anthony pointed out that new hospitals would be built in Regions One, Nine and Ten, while a new hospital was recently completed at New Amsterdam and Enmore is home to the country’s first ever polyclinic. Additionally, with help from the Cuban Government, Guyana would have four new diagnostic and treatment centres and an Ophthalmology Centre that would treat 27 ailments of the eye.

This progressive trend, he maintained, is evident in every sector across the country, including education and housing. Under the PPP/C government 70,000 houselots were distributed since 1992, in comparison to the PNC not distributing a single lot to Guyanese during the last 11 of its 28-year dictatorship that ended in 1992. “This is why we ask you to vote for us on August 28,” Dr. Anthony urged.

August 8, 2006

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