Pres. Ali eyes 100% of votes on Linden Highway; promises 24-hour electricity, land & modern healthcare

President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Thursday fired up residents living along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway with a bold promise to deliver 24-hour electricity, expanded land access and state-of-the-art health and education facilities – all while urging them to deliver nothing short of 100% of the vote for the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Addressing scores of residents who braved the afternoon sun at Kuru Kururu for his second rally since the PPP/C’s campaign launch in Kitty last Sunday, Dr Ali laid out a sweeping vision for transforming the highway corridor into a thriving hub of economic activity and social progress.

“This is about giving you a better quality of life and ensuring that your children have the best possible future right here on the highway,” Ali declared to cheers from the crowd.

Dr. Ali’s pitch centred on connecting every single community along the highway to the national grid run by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) ending decades of unreliable power supply and opening the door for new businesses, agro-processing hubs and value-added.

“Every home will have 24/7 electricity. Every family will have clean water. And our farmers will get the equipment and capital they need to grow and process right here — no more exporting just raw logs,” he said, promising lower taxes on vehicles and better access to credit.

The President pledged that residents will soon see a first-class healthcare facility built along the highway, on par with the Diamond hospital, fully equipped with accident and emergency services, surgical theatres and modern wards.

On education, he reminded the gathering that university education is now free and said the government is expanding nursing and technical training programmes to ensure the region’s young people have real career options — from doctors to engineers to skilled tradespeople.

Dr. Ali made clear that his ambitions stretch beyond the highway itself. The push for 100% of votes in the highway communities is part of the ruling party’s wider drive to secure an unshakeable grip on Region Four — Guyana’s most populous electoral district.

In the 2020 General Elections, the PPP secured 80,920 votes in Region Four, compared to APNU+AFC’s 116,941. In the Regional Elections, the PPP garnered 81,279 votes while APNU+AFC received 116,403.

“I challenge any other political party to come here and show you such a clearly defined plan for the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.”

Ali was quick to remind residents that the promises for the future build on a record of delivery over the last five years.

He pointed to the new infrastructure already taking shape — including the contracts awarded for the Eccles-to-Land-of-Canaan road link and plans for a third major highway connection from Linden through to the East Coast.

Land allocation has also surged. According to Ali, more than 350 house lots have already been surveyed and distributed along the highway, with additional tracts identified for agriculture, housing and commercial development.

“We don’t want our people to just get land — we want them to build and prosper. That’s why we’re reducing interest rates, easing collateral requirements, and breaking down the barriers to home ownership,” he explained.

Residents were also reminded of big-ticket projects on the horizon: the construction of Silica City as a world-class new community along the highway, complete with an international hospital, indoor arena, and an aquaculture hub expected to create thousands of jobs.

Dr. Ali highlighted the PPP/C’s track record of job creation nationally — from thousands of new public servants, teachers and nurses to part-time workers and revived sectors like forestry and sugar.

He said the region’s residents will benefit directly from upcoming developments, including the new hotel at the highway’s corridor and the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, which is expected to generate even more employment.