President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali made an appeal to residents of Region 10 on Sunday evening, arguing that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) remains the only political movement with a serious and practical strategy to lift Guyanese families out of poverty.
Addressing a large crowd at Lieu-Ken-Pen Square in Linden, the president said that tackling economic hardship is central to his administration’s national agenda. “Our government has a clearly defined poverty reduction strategy that will look at every one of these issues,” he said, referencing plans to tackle cost of living, housing access, public services, and national income growth.
President Ali acknowledged that many of the price hikes affecting families are influenced by international conditions—such as global inflation, freight charges, and energy costs. But he insisted that his government has done all it can to soften the blow. “We don’t control international transport costs. We don’t control international energy costs. But for every single thing that we could have done so far to reduce the impact of these rising prices globally, we have done,” he said.
Among the measures already rolled out under the PPP/C government, Ali listed:
- Removal of more than 200 taxes
- Zero VAT on electricity and water
- Free university education
- Reduced water rates
- Expanded electricity subsidies
He also pointed to larger goals beyond relief, such as food security and local production. Citing a US$25 million investment in a new dairy facility, the president said that long-term economic resilience would come from reducing Guyana’s dependency on imports. “The future is about our ability to manufacture our own milk — powdered, condensed, evaporated — right here in Guyana,” he said.
But in a region long considered a stronghold of the opposition, Ali’s message will have to compete with a deeply rooted political history. While the administration has invested significantly in Region 10—including a $2.66 billion new secondary school and solar energy projects—many residents continue to express frustration over unemployment, inequality, and perceived neglect.
Critics of the PPP/C argue that while the government has outlined broad national plans, some communities—especially in Linden—have not seen those plans materialize in a meaningful way. Infrastructure development has been welcomed, but there is growing demand for more direct job opportunities and consistent support for working-class families.
Still, the president framed the PPP/C as the only party with a coherent, forward-looking agenda. “We are a party about plan, about vision, about strategy,” he told the crowd, urging them to vote for “a comprehensive, overwhelming majority” on September 1.
Whether that message resonates with Region 10 voters may depend on how they judge the difference between promises made—and promises kept.
