Dear Editor,
In two prior letters to your publication, I highlighted Budget 2025’s provisions for the rehabilitation of Bourda Market and Bourda Green, while calling on Minister Sonia Parag to provide accountability and transparency regarding the funds appropriated by the National Assembly in February 2025. As I prepare this letter, I am yet to see any response to my queries. Sadly, this is not surprising to me, it aligns with the PPP/C administration’s usual modus operandi, a “don’t care, don’t question us” attitude.
Editor, as we approach the countdown to General and Regional Elections (GRE) 2025, there are a number of concerning developments. These concerns, when raised, are rarely addressed by the incumbents. Instead, they are brushed aside while the government’s spin doctor performs his usual Thursday theatrics.
All Guyanese should be alarmed by the lavish spending on election paraphernalia by the PPP/C. It is difficult to accept the explanation that these are funded by party monies, as they would like us to believe. In hindsight, it appears that public funds have been siphoned off to build a massive war chest, essentially using the people’s money against them.
Is this a psychological war the PPP/C is attempting to foist on Guyanese? Are we to believe that flags, massive crowds, branded jerseys, decorated trucks fitted with enormous sound systems, and oversized banners bearing the face of Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, who, I must remind readers, is not contesting for any elected position; are all legitimate expenses? This misuse of public resources is especially disturbing when those same funds could have been directed toward improving health services or other essential sectors.
I have read numerous headlines quoting soundbites from PPP/C rallies. The most recent in Region 2 saw the three main speakers sharing little of substance with those who were bussed, trucked, and boated in. Instead, it was yet another display of fluff, bluster, and Mr. Jagdeo’s typical Thursday ramblings.
Let me briefly address two major misrepresentations that continue to be peddled:
1. The “200 new taxes” mantra attributed to the Coalition Government has been refuted numerous times by myself and Former Finance Minister Winston Jordan. Questions were tabled in the National Assembly in 2023, yet never answered.
2. The “7,000 sugar workers” job loss claim is equally deceptive. I posed direct questions to Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, which were either ignored or inaccurately addressed. The Hansard records show that fewer than 5,000 workers were affected during the right-sizing of the sugar industry. Former Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, in his publication “My Turn” (Facebook, June 21, 2025), confirmed the actual number was 4,763, while 11,000 workers remained employed at existing estates.
At the Anna Regina rally, the desperation was clear as speakers begged the crowd to vote PPP/C on September 1, 2025. They touted hotels under construction, a new regional hospital at Lima, and roads. But how do hotels improve the lives of ordinary Indigenous citizens? Are they expected to afford services at such facilities? Is the government now in the business of hotel development?
I also chuckled at the mention of housing. The government continues to prey on the emotions of young people. In Region 2, it was reported (Guyana Chronicle, June 26, 2021) that 700 house lots were allocated within 10 months. Again, on July 11, 2025, News Room reported that over 400 house lots were made available in a new housing scheme. But where is the follow-up? How many of those 700 recipients from 2021 have actually built homes or accessed mortgages? Meanwhile, residents in Charity and Onderneeming are still awaiting land allocations. They also neglected to mention how they plan to resolve the region’s high iron content in the water supply, despite billions having been pumped into the sector since 2020; benefiting mainly friends, family, and favored contractors.
The promise of regional connectivity and improved markets for farmers is another vague vision. Where is the roadmap? Similarly, talk of a Development Bank sounds promising, but will small-scale farmers be able to access loans given the usual bureaucratic hurdles?
At the rally, the stage was filled with energetic youth, all cheering for another PPP/C term. Yet, few were able to share tangible personal benefits from the past five years. Have they forgotten the promise made in 2022? Let me remind them: “1,200 more jobs for Region Two residents” – a promise made by Mr. Jagdeo and reported by Newsroom Guyana on May 25, 2022. And no, I’m not referring to the “instructed ten-day workers.” Presenters also claimed that over 4,000 persons benefited from the GOAL scholarship program. But what was conveniently left out were the areas of study, completion rates, and employment outcomes of graduates.
Editor, I’ve laid out these points to demonstrate why voters should not gamble with their votes. By the end of this term, the PPP/C would have governed for 28 years (1992–2015 and 2020–2025). Yet their track record pales in comparison to that of a PNC-led administration under the late Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, whose legacies, such as Multilateral Schools, the Demerara Harbour Bridge, the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, and the Canje Bridge—still stand today.
The Coalition Government (2015–2020) made meaningful improvements and had a clear vision for Guyana. Since returning to power, the PPP/C has reversed many of those policies; policies that were working to make Guyana great again.
In conclusion, I urge Guyanese to make a wise and informed decision in the upcoming elections. Don’t be swayed by smooth talkers, masterful orators, or flashy PR campaigns. Choose the party with substantive policies, not empty promises. The future of Guyana and that of future generations. depends on it. Let us rise above political name-calling and personal attacks. Let us focus on the bigger picture: reclaiming our country’s dignity and charting a path toward shared prosperity. I firmly believe that APNU offers a credible and viable pathway toward national development and prosperity.
Yours truly,
Annette Ferguson
