PPPC’s Indigenous engagement “consistent, not convenient” – Jagdeo

…slams Opposition for showing interest only at pre-elections

General Secretary of People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has reaffirmed administration’s engagement with Indigenous leaders is rooted in longstanding commitment, not pre-election convenience.
Speaking at his weekly press conference on Thursday, Jagdeo accused the Opposition of only showing interest in Indigenous affairs because of the upcoming elections.

“PPP governments have engaged Toshaos every single year. This is not new. It is not because it is election year. We’ve done this consistently—not conveniently,” Jagdeo stated emphatically.
Dr Jagdeo traced the origins of government-to-Toshao dialogue back to 1995 under former President Dr. Cheddi Jagan, when engagements began informally. He noted that during his own presidency, these meetings became an annual fixture, culminating in 2006 when the Amerindian Act was passed and the NTC (National Toshaos Conference) was formally enshrined in law.
“What is happening this year is a continuation of that legacy. It didn’t start this year, and it won’t end this year,” he said.
Jagdeo emphasized that the entire Cabinet routinely participates in the NTC, listening to issues and providing real-time responses.
Additionally, in sharp contrast, the Vice President criticized the APNU-AFC’s (A Partnership for National Unity – Alliance For Change) five years in office, noting that former President David Granger made a brief appearance at the NTC and then left, with no real engagement or follow-up.
“They had no engagement whatsoever with the leadership. The Toshaos complained bitterly,” Jagdeo said.
“They suddenly acquired this fake love in the past few months. People will see through it. They have absolutely no concern for the communities.”

Defending economic management, use of oil funds
Jagdeo used the occasion to double down on the PPP/C’s record of economic development, particularly in Indigenous and hinterland areas. He stated that critics who claim improvements are only due to oil money ignore the facts.
With this in mind, he cited the $94 billion in tax increases implemented by the previous government, compared to the PPP/C’s first-year tax reductions of $40 billion.
“All the oil money in this year’s budget, is only 37 percent of total spending. That means the majority of our projects are still funded from traditional revenue sources,” he explained.
“And if you add our allocations to education, health, roads, and bridges, it’s more than all the oil money in the budget, leaving out everything else. The…wages and salaries in the public sector, which is $200-odd billion, and grew by $100 billion since we got into office, that’s excluded”.
Monday marked the start of the 2025 NTC, with President Dr. Irfaan Ali reminding the Toshaos in attendance of the massive investments the PPP/C government has made into their communities, particularly in education and health.
In this year’s budget, a sum of $7.2 billion had been set aside to enhance welfare of Amerindian communities. Of this, $150 million was budgeted in 2025 to support the NTC conference that is being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC)… an increase from the $136.5 million spent last year for the same purpose.