PPP/C on “solid grounds” for 2031 General & Regional Elections – GS Jagdeo

– says Party fully committed to “people-centred” governance-style

General Secretary (GS) of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo says the governing party is well-positioned ahead of the 2031 General and Regional Elections, citing its people-centred approach. Jagdeo, who currently serves as Vice President (VP) in the present Administration, made these remarks following a successful public day event in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) earlier this week. According to Jagdeo, that engagement, which saw scores of residents in attendance, demonstrates the ruling party’s commitment to remaining open, accessible, and responsive to the needs of Guyanese.
“What you [saw there] is just typical of the PPP management style. We have always been accessible to the people on the ground, and we continue to do so – from the President [Dr Irfaan Ali] to almost all the Ministers. We kept that essential feature of the party open,” the GS posited. This approach, he emphasised, is different from the aloofness displayed under the previous People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition regime during the 2015 to 2020 period.

After losing the 2020 General and Regional Elections to the PPP/C, the Coalition partners had a major fallout and contested the 2025 polls separately, churning out an even more dismal performance, with the APNU being demoted as the main parliamentary opposition and the AFC booted from the National Assembly.
On the other hand, the PPP/C strengthened its parliamentary presence with a seven-seat majority after securing a landslide victory at last year’s elections. Though still several years ahead, Jagdeo is confident that the party is well-positioned for another win at the next polls.
“I see people talking about [2031]. We’re on solid grounds for [2031]. They’ll be shocked to see what will happen in [2031] … We have a full nearly five years ahead of us. Elections are going to be held in 2031, so we have nearly five years ahead of us to continue working on solving people’s problems. And we intend to put all of our efforts into that work,” Jagdeo declared. During Tuesday’s public day in Linden – a traditional stronghold of the opposition – scores of residents turned out to participate in the event held at the Watooka Guest House. Jagdeo had said that this demonstrates that residents were more concerned about addressing issues affecting their daily lives than being influenced by politics.
“It shows that people don’t care too much for the politics when it concerns their lives,” he stated. The VP had noted that the outreach allowed Government officials to address a range of concerns raised by residents, particularly issues relating to housing, land leases and public assistance. “So, as is typical of many of these public days, the issues surrounding housing and leases for land, some public assistance, and a lot of issues are similar issues. Not a surprise because we have encountered similar issues across the country,” Jagdeo said. The VP added that the Government remains committed to resolving these matters across the country, including in Region 10. “The Government is committed to working to resolve all of these issues for people everywhere in our country, regardless of where they live. And the people of Region 10 are no exception,” he said. Moreover, VP Jagdeo noted that the Government would continue focusing on long-term development rather than being distracted by criticism or short-term measures.
“We will just continue doing what we are doing, which is keeping a focus on what matters most to our country and our people. We’re not going to be distracted by extraneous noise and by those who try to knock us off this course that we have defined,” he said.
He further stated that while some Government initiatives may take time to produce results, they are aimed at creating sustainable progress and economic opportunities.
“Sometimes the things that we work on yield results in the long term. So, they’re not as attractive as what some may propagate – the short-term fixes. But it’s the long-term issues that matter most to the country because they create sustainable progress and wealth for our people and lead to a prosperous life,” Jagdeo said.
The VP also highlighted Government spending on public sector wages and salaries, noting that public servants are now earning significantly more compared to when the Administration returned to office.
“Whilst we’re addressing short-term help, and a lot of people have received short-term help, you just look at the wages and salaries built in the public sector. It has gone up phenomenally. It means more public servants are earning literally over $100 billion more per year since today and since we returned to office,” he said.
Throughout the day, Linden residents continued to turn out in large numbers for the Public Day, where they engaged officials on matters involving housing, education, agriculture, the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), and other sectors.