The top leadership of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) made several claims on Sunday, March 26, which appear to be false, say observers. The claims were made at Babu Jaan, Corentyne, Berbice, at a ceremony held in observance of former late President, Dr Cheddi Jagan’s 26th death anniversary.
One of the issues being highlighted by observers is the fact that the PPP appeared to go to great lengths to present itself as a multiracial, inclusive, and fair institution. The strenuous efforts of the PPP to present itself as racially inclusive come on the heels of numerous accusations of racism and racial discrimination against the ruling party.
At the ceremony, President Irfaan Ali spoke warmly about Guyana’s racial diversity. The president condemned racism. He said, “Today I say that no weapon formed in the clothing of racism will succeed once this People’s Progressive Party is alive and we don’t intend to die. We would stay alive,
Upon taking the podium, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo also strongly defended the PPP. The vice president claimed that government is built on a foundation of inclusivity, transparency and accountability.
Notably, each aspect of the vice president’s claim is currently being contradicted by numerous local and international experts.
Vice President Jagdeo spoke about the equitable distribution of oil money. He said, “We have to ensure that we are building and accumulating wealth for the ordinary man in a sustainable way. That has been the philosophy of the PPP/C.”
The claims of equitable distribution of oil wealth is also under question. Reputable lawyer and chartered accountant, Mr. Christopher Ram, has repeatedly pounded the PPP regime’s record on the subject.
The claims of the PPP’s top brass came across as highly defensive, according to some Guyanese on social media platforms. Some commentators specifically called out the PPP’s top officials for lying.
One commentator pointed to a study that frontally reveals that the PPP officials lied. The study was referenced in an article entitled, “Serious allegations about racism in Guyana. The article was published in Caribbean Life in December 2022.
The following is an excerpt from the article:
“Guyanese of African descent who make up about 34 percent of the national native population of about 800,000 are being abjectly ignored and marginalized in the award of state contracts and other high earning projects.
“Most of the billions being dished out to contractors, be it local or foreign, are being handed to Guyanese of Indian descent, foreign groups collaborating with Indo Guyanese or even Indo Trinidadian contractors. The study even highlights some cases where Afro Guyanese contractors have been given a sizeable bite of the national pie in joint ventures with Indian counterparts.
“There is clear evidence of ethnic discrimination in the award of tenders in Guyana,” said one study, pointing to data it said it had obtained from the National Procurement and Tender Administration (NPTA).
‘Companies owned or operated by Guyanese of Indian descent are awarded contracts at a rate far exceeding their representation in the broader demographic statistics of the country. Additionally, this pattern is even more evident when the dollar value of the contracts is considered,’ the report stated.
“One of the reports noted that 56.9% of contracts awarded were to businesses owned or operated by Guyanese of Indian descent while 72.8% of the total dollar value of awards went to businesses owned or operated by Guyanese of Indian descent.”
At the event in Babu Jaan, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo spoke of the PPP’s dedication to bringing relief to the sugar workers who were left without a livelihood following their termination under the previous administration.
However, one observer called out the vice president for lying to the people. The observer noted that it was under the PPP that the Wales, Enmore, and LBI sugar estates were closed.
