GEORGETOWN – After weeks of speculation and quiet whispers about his health, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has resurfaced from a noticeable hiatus from the public eye, dismissing the rumours not with a denial, but with a clear message: the elections are over, and the government is back to work.
Jagdeo, who is also General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, re-emerged during a meeting with East Coast Demerara Neighbourhood Democratic Councils convened by Local Government Minister Priya Manickchand, where he directly addressed public curiosity about his absence from the media spotlight. Once a fixture of weekly press conferences, the Vice President acknowledged that many had been asking where he had gone.
“People don’t see me at press conferences anymore; and the elections are over,” Jagdeo told the gathering. “We have to now deliver on our promises.”
His remarks signalled a deliberate shift away from campaign mode toward implementation, with Jagdeo insisting that the PPP/C’s landslide victory was earned through credibility built over its last term in office. He reminded supporters that the party had been cautious in the promises it made in 2020 and then spent five years delivering on them, despite the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That is why we won with a landslide,” he said, arguing that the administration restored an economy he described as stagnant and overburdened by taxes under the former APNU+AFC government.
Jagdeo pointed to the government’s first major act upon returning to office: an emergency budget that reversed more than 200 taxes and fees, including VAT on electricity, water, medicines, school supplies, building materials, and agricultural and mining equipment. Increases to land rent and drainage and irrigation charges were also rolled back.
He outlined what he described as concrete results since 2020, including the creation of more than 60,000 jobs, the doubling of old age pensions and public assistance, reductions in income tax rates, and a doubling of the income tax threshold. He said over 82,000 Guyanese have been trained through government programmes, while more than 39,000 scholarships have been awarded, nearly double the original promise.
Jagdeo also highlighted targeted subsidies and cash transfers, including the reinstated and expanded “Because We Care” grant, as part of efforts to cushion families against rising costs. In education and healthcare, he pointed to the introduction of free tertiary education and the construction of six new hospitals as central pillars of the administration’s human development agenda.
Major infrastructure investments were also cited, including the construction of the new Demerara River Bridge, the removal of tolls from key crossings, and the expansion and rehabilitation of major highways and thoroughfares.
Looking ahead, Jagdeo aligned his comments with President Dr Irfaan Ali’s broader development vision, which frames the coming years as one of the most transformative periods in Guyana’s history. He said the government’s goal of significantly improving living standards is no longer aspirational, but increasingly measurable, with projections suggesting Guyana could rank among the highest in the hemisphere before the decade ends.
For Jagdeo, his reappearance carried a pointed message: rumours and speculation aside, the political campaign is finished. The government, he said, now expects to be judged not on promises made, but on results delivered.
