‘No matter what they promise, the APNU/AFC will never deliver’ – Jagdeo at Albion rally

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, on Sunday outlined several plans for Region Six in the PPP’s next term in office. These include a four-lane road from Moleson Creek to New Amsterdam, a toll-free four-lane bridge across the Berbice River, and more.

And he told hundreds of supporters gathered at the Albion Estate Road, Berbice, that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) had shown from 2015 to 2020 that they cannot deliver on their promises.

“Their supporters, as well as ours, recognise that the PNC—no matter what they promise—the APNU and AFC will never deliver on what they promise,” he said.

Several former members of the APNU and AFC have endorsed the PPP/C’s presidential candidate for a second term, some of whom are now on the party’s list of candidates to sit in the National Assembly.

The General Secretary outlined trends in the past, which he said show that “they are prejudiced against Region Six.” He pointed to their actions, including the closure of several sugar estates and the reduction of the region’s budget, noting that they are once again preparing to close more sugar estates in the region.

“At their launch, one of their speakers said, ‘We will shut the sugar industry down and grow marijuana… that is not 2015—that was a couple of weeks ago,” Jagdeo noted.

“People did not believe us in 2015, but now they are saying it again,” he said.

During the 2015–2020 term in office, the APNU+AFC Government shut down the Rose Hall, Skeldon, Wales, and Enmore sugar estates, putting more than 7,500 sugar workers out of jobs and plunging entire communities into economic and social crisis.

Further, rice farmers were left without adequate support, as the former government stated that “rice is a private industry.”

Instead, he said, the PPP/C has increased access to better healthcare, more training, employment of part-time workers, and other benefits.

“Without us in office… Berbice would have been a forgotten country because there is institutional discrimination against people who live in Berbice… You have to understand what is at stake here—that only with a PPP/C government can this region make progress,” Dr Jagdeo said.

He reminded supporters that the founder of his party, Dr Cheddi Jagan, hailed from Region Six, noting that he must be proud of the unity now seen in the region.

“The founder of our party was born here, and I am sure that if he is looking down upon us today, he will be extremely proud of how his party has grown and how they have remained strong to his ideals and committed to serving the people of this country,” he told supporters.

“We will work to ensure that the cost of living comes down for everyone,” he committed.