BARTICA — Before a sea of cheering supporters in Region Seven, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Saturday tore into the opposition’s leadership, branding Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton and embattled businessman Azruddin Mohamed as incapable of steering Guyana’s future.
Speaking in the heart of Bartica, Jagdeo painted a stark picture of what he sees as the difference between the PPP/C’s record and what he called the opposition’s failure to lead. He urged residents to turn out on September 1 to “keep the progress” and not be “misled” by promises that, in his view, will never be kept.
“The future of our country is in your hands — your children’s future,” he told the crowd, noting that trust in a political party should be earned through its track record.
Jagdeo accused the APNU leadership of having no policy-making ability, describing Mohamed as “blank” when asked even basic questions. He contrasted that with what he called the PPP’s “tried and tested” leadership team, led by President Dr. Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, who he said have earned both domestic trust and international respect while defending Guyana’s territorial integrity.
Recalling the 2015 elections, Jagdeo said miners had backed APNU after promises to remove taxes on the sector. Instead, he charged, the then-government increased royalty rates, raised the tributer’s tax, slapped VAT on machinery and equipment, and restricted fuel transport to the interior. “Mining practically died,” he said.
Jagdeo contrasted that with the PPP/C’s return to office, when the tributer’s tax was removed, VAT on machinery and equipment was scrapped, and royalty rates were reduced — measures he credited with reviving the sector.
He also accused the APNU+AFC of neglecting Indigenous communities, noting that thousands of Community Support Officers were fired and recalling how one opposition parliamentarian publicly insulted Amerindian people.
Throughout the rally, Jagdeo cast the PPP as the only political force that can unite Guyana’s diverse population, dismissing those who he says thrive on division.
