The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) continues to attract a growing number of professionals and young leaders from across Guyana, a development General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo says reflects the party’s inclusive approach and progressive agenda for the country’s future.
Dr. Jagdeo, who is also the Vice President, spoke about the recent influx of professionals and young people coming forward to support the PPP, particularly during a visit to Linden and at the party’s headquarters, at Freedom House in Georgetown.
“During the week, I also met young people, young professionals from the hinterland, from Region 10. They came to Freedom House, and they’re all supporting the party. They came unsolicited as groups, and they said to me that none of the groups I met this week were organised,” Jagdeo said at his press conference on Thursday.
He added, “They just got together themselves and said, ‘How can we help in the campaign? How can we spread the message?’ Which is a very, very heartening thing for me as General Secretary of the party,” Dr. Jagdeo shared.
He noted that, unlike other parties who must “hunt people down” or offer incentives, professionals from all backgrounds are approaching the PPP voluntarily because they see real plans for Guyana’s development and trust the party to deliver.
“Some parties are hunting people down. They have to get them to give them some money to sign up for their list. In our case, people are walking off the road because they’ve seen the plans for the future, and they know they can trust us to implement those plans,” he added.
Jagdeo highlighted the PPP’s commitment to empowering professionals at every level, from young engineers and educators to entrepreneurs and contractors.
He pointed to systemic changes that have opened opportunities for small and medium contractors in various regions, including Region 10, and Berbice.
“We’ve just changed the system to empower small people and to give them an opportunity to implement programmes that hitherto would have been done by a single individual […]. Hundreds of contractors in Region Five, Region Two, Region Four, all across the country – they’ve been getting work. It’s not unique to Linden. It’s bringing benefits to people all around the country,” Jagdeo said.
The Vice President outlined how the PPP’s inclusive and practical policies are drawing professionals who want to be part of Guyana’s growth. He cited new public works programmes, improved procurement processes, and plans for resilient infrastructure as initiatives that have created new opportunities for skilled Guyanese.
“Because we’ve been inclusive, because we’ve been empowering, we have been able to implement a massive programme that would not have been implemented otherwise right across Guyana,” he stated, adding that such policies have led to “practically completed most community roads in coastal Guyana” and are now shifting focus to community drainage, recreational facilities, and security enhancements.
Jagdeo also touched on the enthusiasm among young professionals and graduates. He reported that the youth arm of the PPP has grown to 15,000 members, drawing on all backgrounds and regions.
“Young people are central to the People’s Progressive Party’s vision for Guyana. We believe young people are a part of the entire vision for the country. Because they have an interest in education, in health care, they want to own their own home, they want to get a good-paying job, and they want to have recreational time,” he explained.
He urged young professionals to seize opportunities now available, from higher education scholarships to land allocations and support for small business startups, including a soon-to-be-launched development bank offering zero-interest loans.
“We’re not going to be competing with APNU on racism. Let’s leave them, APNU and AFC, to wallow in that. We’re going to be carrying our activists in Linden and everywhere in the country… talking about trust, that we have kept faith with the people. We kept our promise to them, and we have crafted the plans that they are part of, that their future is linked to our planning for Guyana,” he said.
Dr. Jagdeo described the groundswell of professional support as evidence that the PPP’s vision for Guyana’s future resonates with the country’s most ambitious and skilled citizens, promising that this partnership will continue to drive Guyana’s progress.
