Veteran Region Five sugar worker sees PPP/C as only party to deliver, transform industry

Veteran sugar worker Julius Norris, employed at the Blairmont Estate of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), made an impassioned appeal on Sunday afternoon for voters to return the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to office, declaring it the only government that can be trusted to transform the country and protect the sugar industry.

Addressing thousands gathered at the PPP/C rally in Bath, Region Five, Norris said his years in the industry had taught him that no other administration had stood by sugar workers like the PPP/C. From bailouts during tough times to consistent improvements in wages and salaries, he said the party’s track record speaks for itself.

“The PPP/C is the only government that delivers for sugar workers,” Norris told the cheering crowd, urging them to “vote to continue the transformation” under what he described as visionary leadership from President Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, and Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.

Norris, who is part of the workers’ union that has publicly endorsed President Ali for a second term, credited the government with revitalising the sugar sector after years of decline.

The PPP/C can be credited with the reopening of the Rose Hall Estate in 2023, which rehired several thousand workers and helped push sugar production up by 28% compared to 2022.

In the 2025 National Budget, the government allocated $13.3 billion to further rehabilitate the industry, mechanise an additional 3,000 hectares, and upgrade critical infrastructure.

The administration has also unveiled a long-term diversification plan for GuySuCo, including expanding into agro-processing and increasing worker ownership in the next term—steps they say will ensure the industry’s sustainability and profitability.

“We’ve seen the progress, and we must keep it going,” Norris told rally-goers. “Only the PPP/C has the will and the vision to continue this transformation.”