Responding to criticisms from the main political opposition party, General Secretary of the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo Sunday defended the use of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre to host his party’s 32nd Congress.
Jagdeo, who is Guyana’s Vice President, addressed the criticisms on Sunday at the closing press conference of the congress.
He said the Conference Centre was built by a previous PPP government under his tenure as President. According to him, it was built as a convention centre meant to host events.
“We rented this building and we decorated it with our beautiful party flags that has a meaning… they have nothing of substance to say.
“For a major political party to reduce itself to this sort of pettiness, it is shocking. It’s a convention centre, that’s what it’s built for,” Jagdeo said at the press conference.
He added that the space has been used before to host other private events including weddings and religious functions. So he reasoned that there should be no problem with a party congress being hosted there.
The Conference Centre, since 2020, has been used to host sittings of the National Assembly too. And that’s part of why some criticisms have been levelled against the PPP for hosting the congress there.
But Jagdeo said the building does not automatically become Parliament building because sittings of the National Assembly are held there. So again, he defended the use of the space.
When will the critics understand that this building is fulfilling it’s purpose ? It is generating money,it’s not a ‘freeco’ as some corners are suggesting.