Big promises of cash transfers made by the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) at its campaign launch on Sunday have been shot down by General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, as “extravagant and unsustainable.”
“It is a lot of unsustainable promises. They are very extravagant on promises as they were in 2015. And they did not do anything to implement it,” Jagdeo said today during the PPP’s weekly press conference.
Betting big on oil revenues, the APNU dished out a menu of promises which included $1 to $2 million direct cash transfer to every Guyanese citizen, 35% salary increases for all public servants, and $120,000 annually for all children.
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The campaign launch, held at the Square of the Revolution, was the poorest showing for the APNU at a campaign launch in the last decade.
In examining the figures proposed, Jagdeo explained that just the annual 35% salary increases will take the public sector wage bill to $1.1 trillion by 2030. Guyana’s 2025 budget was $1.382 trillion.
The APNU is also proposing to cut revenues by billions of dollars through a massive increase in the income tax threshold to $400,000.
“So, they had a lot of extravagant promises. And people are disillusioned with the APNU because of their performance,” the PPP General Secretary said, reflecting on the APNU’s inability to fulfil many of their promises made to Guyanese in 2015.
In 2015, the APNU + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition campaigned heavily on the provision of jobs for young people, but contended after taking office that it was not the responsibility of the government to provide jobs for young people.
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Former President David Granger went as far as to encourage young persons seeking employment to start their businesses selling cook-up rice and plantain chips.
Jagdeo, who also serves as the country’s Vice President, highlighted too that the campaign launch on Sunday lacked diversity, which he said was a direct result of quiet racism within the party and old rhetoric about extrajudicial killings.
“The campaign lacked diversity because they are now getting smaller by the day. People are disgusted by their overt and the quiet racism – the whisper campaigns. A lot of that came out at the launch. And the old rhetoric of extrajudicial killing, lying about the PPP’s track record,” he said.
“They are hoping to spark outrage and mislead young people once again. You saw a healthy dose of lies at the campaign launch,” the General Secretary added.
Since taking over the leadership of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led APNU, Aubrey Norton has repeatedly faced allegations of racism against Indo-Guyanese in the party.
Three senior members of the APNU have also been embroiled in controversies related to racial hostility, with one being charged under the Racial Hostility Act.
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