Residents of Linden woke up to a fiery rebuttal from Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, who has accused Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton of “deliberately misleading” the community with claims that a re-elected People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government would pull the plug on their electricity subsidies.
In a strongly worded statement, the Prime Minister declared that the government’s track record “speaks for itself” — pointing to more than $13.8 billion in subsidies poured into Linden, Ituni, and Kwakwani since August 2020.
“This investment shielded families from the crushing impact of global fuel price hikes and kept the lights on in every home,” Phillips said. “We are not just maintaining subsidies — we are building the future.”
He highlighted the government’s recent signing of a US$22.5 million contract for what will be the largest solar farm in Guyana’s history — a 15-megawatt facility in Linden aimed at delivering clean, affordable power and cutting reliance on imported fuel.
In a sharp jab at Norton, the Prime Minister accused the Opposition Leader of “political fearmongering” and “trying to erase the memory of his party’s own failures,” noting that during the APNU+AFC’s time in power, Region 10 received only $4.2 billion over five years — compared to the PPP/C’s $122.6 billion in this term alone.
He didn’t stop there. Phillips reminded residents that under the former government, electricity and water subsidies for pensioners were slashed, and the school cash grant — including for Linden’s children — was taken away. “We restored them. We increased them. We removed over 200 taxes that were suffocating the people,” he said.
The Prime Minister also listed major infrastructure projects under the PPP/C, from rebuilding the Soesdyke–Linden Highway and overhauling the town’s road network, to issuing thousands of house lots, building schools, and creating local jobs through community contracts.
“Every paved road, every new classroom, every reduced light bill since 2020 is proof that we deliver,” Phillips asserted. “Lindeners will decide on September 1 if they want to keep moving forward, or go back to neglect and deception.”
He ended with a clear promise: “The electricity subsidies are here to stay.”
