“If you want development, vote PPP/C” – PM tells Moruca

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, has urged residents of Region One (Barima-Waini) to support the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for a continuation of the unprecedented development taking place.
“There’s a reason why we have to vote for PPP/C… If you want development in Guyana, you have to vote PPP/C,” Phillips told thousands of supporters at the party’s public meeting held at the Moruca Sub-district on Saturday.
Phillips is returning on the PPP ticket alongside President Irfaan Ali as they seek a second term in office at the upcoming September 1 General and Regional Elections.
The Prime Minister told residents that Moruca and the rest of Region One have undergone a complete transformation over the past five years, and this can only continue under the PPP.
“We have catapulted you from the dark ages of 2020 to the bright and sparkling future of today, and it could only get brighter under the PPP/C Government… That is what we promise you: development and growth. Every Guyanese, every community, every race… must be part and parcel of this development… Don’t let anybody come and confuse your mind and keep you away from participating and benefitting from the development,” the PM declared.
Under the PPP/C’s leadership, Phillips noted that there is no division in development. He said over the past five years, his Government has been working to break down all the divides that prevented hinterland regions like the Barima-Waini from benefitting from the same development as the coastland.

He pointed out that the region has seen internet connectivity being bolstered through investments like the Starlink network – the satellite internet service operated by United States-based Tesla and ‘X’ owner Elon Musk.
The Prime Minister, who has responsibility for telecommunications and energy, also spoke about the many solar farms that were installed in communities across the region to bring reliable power to supply to residents.
According to Phillips, the current PPP/C Government has effectively delivered to the people all across Guyana on all of its 2020 manifesto promises and is committed to doing the same in the next term.
“We made a lot of promises, and we delivered on those promises. And what we’re going to do is make more promises… And in the next five years, we’re going to deliver on those promises.”

We do what we say
Similar sentiments were expressed by Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal during Saturday’s meeting at Moruca. He told residents to ensure they elect leaders who listen and will implement programmes that fix their problems.
“We’re a different party… What we say, we will do for you,” Croal stated, adding, “We’re about showing what we can do for you.”
“When you go and vote on September 1… we want you to vote for the party that you know has always had the hinterland and Amerindian brothers and sisters at heart… a party that has always been consistent in its message,” the Minister noted.
Contending that the PPP/C deserves a second term in office, Croal also highlighted that the party has fulfilled all of the promises it made to the electorate five years ago and then some.
He pointed to a number of issues raised by residents of the region over the years that have been addressed by the Ali-led administration, including issues related to pensions, roads, access to water, education and transportation.
One example he provided was the complaint that the Santa Rosa Secondary in Moruca had outgrown the student population. The Government made interventions, Croal said, and now the Waramuri Secondary School will open in September, while the Kwebanna Secondary School will open by January.
The Minister also highlighted that the residents of Santa Rosa complained about only having six hours of electricity a day, but through Government intervention, they are now getting 16-17 hours of power per day.
“You know you have a listening Government,” Croal declared.

Don’t waste your vote
Meanwhile, residents of Moruca were encouraged not to waste their votes and take chances that can put the community’s or region’s development at risk.
Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, said that some persons in the region have indicated that they are “taking a chance” by supporting other political parties.
But she was quick to remind of 2015 when persons took a chance with the APNU+AFC Coalition and faced five years of broken promises, hardships and stagnant development.
“We saw how much decline can take place in five years. And you know how much progress can take place in five years because we’ve seen it from 2020 to 2025 under the leadership of Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali.”
“Be careful not to take a risk or to take a chance that can set your community decades back… We are going forward together with President Irfaan Ali and with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic. We can’t afford, at this critical point in this country’s history, to reverse the progress. We have to build on progress we’ve seen already,” Rodrigues declared.
Similarly, Parliamentary Secretary Sarah Browne urged Region One residents, “Don’t waste your vote behind a sanctioned man.”
Browne pointed to the progress made in a range of sectors, urging residents to reflect on how their lives have improved under the Ali-led Government. Noting that President Ali has proven himself as a good leader, she encouraged residents to vote for the cup on September 1.
Among the other speakers at the PPP’s public meeting on Saturday who testified to the massive progress across Barima-Waini in the last five years was Region One Chairman Brentnol Ashley.
“There isn’t a village across Region One that has not seen or witnessed any transformation or development… Every single village now is being transformed and is on the path to prosperity,” Ashley said.
He added, “Let us continue on this path; let us continue the work that has started.”