VP dispels opposition lies about part-time jobs, other gov’t initiatives

-outlines track record over 18 months

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo today made it clear that the PPP/C Administration takes planning and the implementation of its master plan for development seriously.

The Vice President, who was responding to criticisms of key government initiatives by the Opposition Leader, said the government will not allow, “People like Mr. Norton to pigeonhole us as though we are just a government running around giving handouts to people,”

As it relates to the part-time jobs initiative, the VP dispelled claims that the part-time workers are benefitting more financially than the public servants.

He explained,“That is not true when you look at the magnitude of what Public servants get, that the part-time employees do not get, for example, paid leave, vacation allowance etc.”

The part-time jobs initiative, which the Vice President has launched across the country is currently benefitting some 9,000 persons, many of whom have praised the programme.

It aims to supplement household income of families and cushion the impact of the rising cost of living.

The Government, when it assumed office in August 2020, inherited significant job loss. Dr. Jagdeo had said over 70,000  jobs were lost under the APNU+AFC prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the country was shut down.

This was exacerbated by inimical economic policies, which included heavy taxation, which this government has reversed, bringing ease to citizens.

“First of all, addressing the pandemic in the last 18 months or so, in office,that was the primary task of the government and you have seen us approach this with a zeal that is unbelievable and even throughout the pandemic when many countries were shut down, and public officials who refused to go out, we saw the President, ministers, many public officials putting themselves at personal risks still going to their communities. Contrast that with the lockdown… maybe about a four months period that we had under APNU and look at the result of our management of the COVID pandemic compared to countries that are better resourced than Guyana,” the VP pointed out.

He added that, “We’ve come out of the pandemic with our economy intact and growing and not just the oil and gas economy but the non-oil and gas economy,still growing.”

This is inspite of the global situation, where many countries are going through recession, some on the verge of recession and others have totally shut down, the VP highlighted.

” We managed to get 80 percent of our adult population vaccinated. We have a functional COVID hospital with over 150 beds now and an ICU section that can accommodate fairly large numbers of people. We can do 5,000 tests per day upwards from 40 tests per day when we got into office. In 18 months we have been hard at work doing just that.

“So the Opposition would like you to believe that somehow this government has not been doing anything, in fact they left an entire mess,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

The Vice President referenced a number of the projects the administration is working on, as it seeks to improve the livelihood of all citizens, modernise the national infrastructure and strengthen the economy.

Among them the US$190 million Linden to Mabura Hill Road, for which the contract has been signed with Brazilian company, Construtora Queiroz Galvao S. A; construction of the maternal and children’s hospital, for which the contract was signed with an Austrian company; the Ogle to Eccles bypass Road; the New Demerara River Crossing and the paving of the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.