Region 6’s best, brightest years ahead under President Ali’s leadership

– Dr Ashni Singh tells residents of New Amsterdam

Delivering a speech to frequent bouts of applause from the crowd, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, predicted that 2025 will be a historic year because the residents of New Amsterdam will give the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) a clear mandate.

During a public meeting in New Amsterdam on Sunday, Dr Singh pointed out that New Amsterdam’s and Region Six’s best and brightest years will be the next five years that lie ahead, citing President Irfaan Ali’s visionary leadership and the tremendous development taking place in the Region. Dr Singh reminded residents that throughout the town’s history, even though the People’s National Congress (PNC) has always received the majority of votes since Independence, the party has neglected the town.
He also recalled that following the PPP/C’s assumption of office in 1992, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam received its first visit by a sitting President, President Jagdeo.
“Let’s be frank- from the time New Amsterdam was a town, throughout the years, 1966 all the way to 1992, what did we have in Guyana? In New Amsterdam? You had the PNC in Government at the national level and at the local level, so there was nothing stopping the PNC from bringing development to New Amsterdam”, he said.
He added, “For that whole period, from the time Guyana became Independent to 1992, the people of New Amsterdam were neglected and pauperised. You know that! You know that instead of bringing development to New Amsterdam, what the PNC did was to bring destruction and suffering”.
“And then in 1992, the PPP/C party came into Government and from our position in Central Government, we tried our best to bring development to New Amsterdam,” the Minister told residents, many of them showing their approval with a loud round of applause. Minister Singh reminded residents that major development in the town commenced during the period the PPP/C entered office.
“There was that first old new Amsterdam hospital which was in a state of dilapidation and collapse by the time the PPP/C came into Government, then that new New Amsterdam hospital that was built, was not built by the PNC, it was built by the PPP/C when President Jagdeo was in office and it served the people of New Amsterdam very well for many years, but we recognise now that it has now outlived its usefulness and there is the need now for a new hospital”, Minister Singh added.
He then alluded to the period that the PNC, as A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) returned to Government in 2015 and once again controlled both the Central Government and the municipality for five years. “And what did they do for the people of New Amsterdam? Absolutely nothing! It was a dark time, a time of disaster, destruction and sufferation! Where can you find a single project of any consequence in New Amsterdam that APNU did for the people of New Amsterdam during those five years? Not one! Did they build a health centre? Not one! Did they build a school? Not one! Did they build a road? Well, we hear they built a quarter road. They didn’t even build one road. They built a quarter road,” he said, again to loud approving applause.
The Minister said that this transformation taking place is not only confined to roads.
“It can also be found in homes, as more than any other time in the history of our country, the people of New Amsterdam are being given opportunities to improve their lives”, he said.
Here, he alluded to the Government’s construction of a brand-new world-class hospital currently underway in the Region.
The Minister then took the opportunity to outline several other developments taking place in the region for the benefit of residents, including those in Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam and further afield.
He highlighted a new nursing school that will train people, ensuring a job at the new hospital once they finish their training.
He mentioned the development in Palmyra, including the new stadium, hotels, malls, and large commercial and residential areas.
Dr Singh noted that all this development taking place will completely transform the economy in New Amsterdam and Region Six. The Minister mentioned President Ali’s plans to build a second gas pipeline at the Berbice River, which will lead to industrial development in Region Six and create thousands of jobs for the people of Berbice.
“We are training you right here in Berbice since the National Oil and Gas Institute is in Port Mourant, and the technical institutes are being upgraded, brand new technical and vocational training institutes are being built. We just opened one in Corriverton.” Minister Singh said to loud applause from residents. Minister Singh posited further that with the exciting development taking place all across the region, New Amsterdam and Region Six’s best and brightest years will be the five years ahead.
He asked residents to vote for the PPP/C and to take ‘before’ photos to capture the transformation, as the Region will look very different afterwards.
(DPI)