Dr Jagdeo rubbishes APNU’s housing claims: ‘They gave nothing – we’re building a nation’
General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has pushed back strongly against recent criticisms made by Prime Ministerial candidate of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Juretha Fernandes, who accused the government of distributing “swampy house lots” to citizens.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the general secretary dismissed the claim as both misleading and disconnected from the realities of Guyana’s transformative housing agenda.
Since taking office in 2020, the PPP/C Administration has expended $250 billion to develop 95 new housing schemes across Guyana.
This aggressive push in the housing sector has allowed the administration to exceed its target of delivering 50,000 house lots to Guyanese by the end of its first term.
“They gave nothing. We’re giving house lots, and yes, a lot of the areas started off in the swamp. Go and look at Diamond. That entire community started the same way. Today, there are over 5,000 houses, schools, banks, a modern hospital, and a police station. That’s what transformation looks like,” the vice president said in response to the criticisms.
Recently, a modern $6.6 billion Diamond Regional Hospital opened its doors to residents living on the East Bank
He further criticised Fernandes’ remarks as part of a larger trend of opposition members “running down everything” without recognising the scale of national development currently underway.
The vice president noted that massive housing infrastructure is being rolled out across the country, including on the East Coast corridor, where thousands of households are being prepared for occupancy.
“I flew back from Berbice last week and saw it from the sky: the work happening on the East Coast is unbelievable. Bulldozers, trucks, excavators…clearing and draining lands that will soon become high-end communities,” he said.
He also referred to the ongoing development behind the Diamond Scheme, where lands that once resembled a jungle are now being developed for new housing schemes.
“At one point, we had to clear tall trees and even spotted a jaguar. Someone asked if we’re taking away the habitat. But we need land for people, too. We still have 86 per cent forest cover in this country,” the vice president stated.
Describing the opposition’s rhetoric as “out of touch,” the PPP GS reiterated the PPP/C Government’s commitment to providing housing opportunities to every Guyanese family.
He reminded critics that many of Guyana’s most developed areas were once swamplands.
Some of the new housing developments under the President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali-led administration include Balthyock, Amelia’s Ward, Charity, Yarrowkabra, Palmyra, Fort Ordnance, Williamsburg/Hampshire, Numbers 75 and 76 Villages, Moleson Creek, Felicity, Le Ressouvenir, Bartica, Mahdia, Mabaruma, and Kwakwani. In Region Ten alone, more than $6 billion was expended towards developing housing infrastructure.
In addition to providing house lots, the government implemented several measures to help Guyanese achieve home ownership easily. These include working with banks to secure low-income mortgages as low as three per cent, removing value-added tax (VAT) on building materials and the steel and cement subsidy programme.
About 47 per cent of the 50,000 house lots allocated went to single women, and 54 per cent were allocated to young people between the ages of 21 and 35. Overall, 90 per cent were designated for low and middle-income families.