President Ali says Party’s lists across 80 LAAs represent a unified Guyana
–General Secretary Jagdeo says APNU’s ‘mediocre showing’ a clear sign of its imminent demise
–Norton urges supporters to ‘stay focused’ as the Opposition continues to do the ‘political groundwork’
WITH 20,000 candidates and 26,000 backers, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is confident of achieving a landslide victory at the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE), thereby extending the path for development and progress in Guyana, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said during his address to a mammoth crowd of PPP/C supporters outside of Freedom House on Monday.
To contest elections, political parties, voluntary groups, and individual candidates were required to submit their lists of candidates to the Returning Officer’s office in their respective Local Authority Areas (LAA).
President Ali urged the PPP/C’s supporters to vote for the party at the upcoming LGE, so as to push national development, since it is contesting in all of the LAA.
“This list is a demonstration of the People’s Progressive Party, which is a unified Guyana; a unified list that speaks about the unity of purpose, and unity of hope. And as we advance on this campaign in this Local Government Election, we are moving together as a people to uplift our communities; to uplift the lives of citizens all across our country,” President Ali said, adding:
“We are committed to a unified purpose, and that unified purpose is to bring prosperity to every single home here in Guyana. So, we are going to come with you, community by community, in every single town, because our message is the message all across the country; that is a message that keeps the people at the centre of the purpose.”
Noting that the PPP/C’s only commitment is to the citizens of Guyana, and to its development and advancement, President Ali bade a warm welcome to the new faces to the fold, such as former Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase-Greene; former PNCR Councillor Trichria Richards; and a former Independent City Councillor for the Albouystown/Charlestown Constituency, popular radio announcer Malcolm Ferreira, and many others.
“We welcome you with open arms, and with love, and you are part of a group that is committed to national development. You are part of a movement that is committed to the upliftment of every single Guyanese; we can send an even stronger message that this is a national party representing every single stratum of the Guyanese society,” the Head of State said.
Warning the newcomers not to listen to the “propagandists” who will attempt to discredit their credibility to make them feel “insecure”, President Ali said to loud applause from Party supporters outside Freedom House:
“The only message for them must be that you have taken a stand, and that stand is in the interest of your communities, the interest of Guyana, the interest of your fellow Guyanese.
“And in that stand, you cannot lose. In that stand for Guyana, in that stand for each other, in that stand in unity, in that standing of togetherness, we will never lose; Guyana will never lose, and the People’s Progressive Party will advance further and further.”
Vowing that the PPP/C will work in every township and every community, as it draws “one step closer to victory”, Dr Ali said:
“We don’t have a sinister strategy; we don’t have a private strategy. Our strategy is public, and that strategy is about bringing the people together on the banner of development, prosperity, progress, and advancement. That is the strategy the sea of red will demonstrate when that time comes.”
Meanwhile, PPP/C General-Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has called on supporters, especially the newcomers, to ignore the naysayers and instead position themselves on social media platforms to defeat the rapidly dying PNC/R, not only at the LGE, but also the 2025 Regional and General Elections.
Noting that unlike the PPP/C, the PNC/R is not contesting in all LAA, as it hopes to cling on to its strongholds at the LGE, Dr. Jagdeo said that the APNU’s showing on Monday was “mediocre”, since it lacked representation.
“It was a very mediocre showing on the part of the PNC; the reason why it is mediocre is that they’re living with an old ideology, and we’re demonstrating in this party that the only way forward in a lasting wave of development in this country, is if all of our people work together, regardless of their race,” Dr Jagdeo said, adding:
“For a very, very long time, they [PNC/R] characterised the PPP/C as a racist party, but a few weeks ago, as I said, we’re the only multiracial party in this country. And once again, they have demonstrated this; and those that are new to us, you will see that once you become part of this family, we warmly embrace our family, not based on their race or their religion or their ideology, but because they’re part of our collective, which wants to move the country forward.”
He added that for 57 years, the PNC/R has controlled Georgetown, but that reign will soon be over.
NOTHING DONE
“Because for too long, you have APNU’s propaganda; they have done practically nothing to change the lives of people in the city. We the Central Government fix every road in the city; we take care of drainage, we take care of garbage collection, all responsibilities of the City Council.
“Just imagine, if we didn’t do that, what would have happened. And every cent that we transfer to the City Hall, they find a way to spend it on themselves, and not development,” he said.
Now, with hopes of PPP/C taking over the City Hall, Dr. Jagdeo said citizens can rest assured that they will have representatives that will focus on making their lives and environs better.
Against this backdrop, he urged supporters not to listen to the naysayers, who have made attempts to disparage the party’s supporters, particularly Afro-Guyanese who have switched to PPP/C.
The General Secretary said PPP/C is the only “multi-racial” party, compared to the Opposition, which is currently in shambles over the recent racial comments. He accused the party of consistently using the “race card” to mislead its supporters.
“Now people see for themselves, and they’re smart enough to make choices, and today, you have a number of people who were campaigning with ANPU, who have crossed over to us, and we welcome them…If you believe in development in our country, then your place in the People’s Progressive Party. Do not worry about the naysayers!” Dr. Jagdeo said.
He urged supporters to fight the battle “aggressively” by using social media to protect the party’s record.
By using social media, the party hopes to connect with a diverse range of audiences and engage them in meaningful conversations about their policies, values, and vision for the country.
The PPP/C’s strategic use of social media is a promising move to engage with voters and counter opposition views.
“Do not engage in a very nasty fight. Don’t talk about people’s gender, or their race or their religion. But barring those three things, let’s fight them aggressively online.
Let’s go on their pages and see if you’re a dying breed in Guyana. This is a time for bringing people together. And there is one party in this country that is doing that, and that’s the People’s Progressive Party,” the General Secretary said to thunderous cheers.
Meanwhile, flanked by a small group of supporters, Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton, despite witnessing the crossovers and the crowds of PPP/C supporters in the popular APNU stronghold, said: “I want to say to all our supporters across the country, we must stay focused. I said to my support base there, do not be misled; they are looking for incidents… Let us stay focused; we have been doing our political work on the ground, and we will continue to do our political work.”
