PPP presidential candidate Irfaan Ali led the party in the distribution of hampers at several areas in Berbice yesterday and has urged that he be held accountable for promises made.
The PPP, in collaboration with several overseas non-profit organisations, distributed close to 1,000 hampers in the East Canje, Berbice and Edinburgh, East Bank Berbice areas. The persons who assisted with the hampers are persons who noticed the sufferings of Guyanese and have decided to do something to help, Ali said.
Speaking at the distribution exercise in Canje, Ali touched on how the closure of sugar estates affected the psychological wellbeing of workers who lost their means of providing for their families. He said that no amount of donations can compensate for this damage and said that this is something the APNU+AFC government fails to understand.
According to Ali, if his party is elected to govern, they will “work hard to not only bring back the physical, economical and social goods and services that are so essential to you but we are going to work hard to counsel people and see how we can work on helping the children during this period who would have lost their opportunities in school.”
Ali stressed that persons can only understand what these workers are going through after they have sat and listened to them. “To a father who cannot see a future in providing for his family, to a mother who look at her children or a grandmother who sees their children dropping out of school, nothing can compensate for that emotional and psychological damage but I want you to know in the People’s Progressive Party/Civic lies a party and government that understands the hurt and understands the feelings on the ground,” he said.
He said that the difference between his party and the government of the day is that “we will deliver…We are going to reopen estates, we are going to do it because we are not in the business of buying votes and fooling people.”
Addressing the youths, Ali said that they will work on a plan that will eventually see free university education from monies emerging from the oil and gas sector. He said that they will work on a plan that will expand the ICT sector so as to provide opportunities as well as better and cheaper access to the internet throughout the country. Furthermore, he said, this will aid in persons completing different online programmes instead of having to bear the expense to travel and do so.
He also said that they will invest in expanding technical education so as to ensure young persons are equipped to work in the oil and gas as well as all other sectors in Guyana.
On infrastructure, he said that Region Six is earmarked to benefit from infrastructure transformation that will lead to new economic opportunities and activities within the county.
He stated that the PPP will take Guyana into a future that will bring benefits to every single Guyanese without discrimination. Noting that a government has a responsibility to serve all Guyanese, he said, “Guyana cannot progress if we have a political party in government that believes that they can only serve their supporters.”
He committed to the hundreds of Berbicians gathered that he will serve all Guyanese. “You can hold me accountable for all the promises we are going to make and for all the commitment we are going to fulfill in the future,” he said.
Additionally, he pointed out that during his travels throughout Guyana, persons first question is “When is election?” and urged supporters to be prepared.
