Was the PPP’s 32nd Congress Reduced to a Farce?

May 19, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – Last Thursday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo was asked about some of the economic and social recommendations emerging from the 32^nd Congress of the People’s Progressive Party. In his post-Congress address of 5^th May 2024, the Vice President had mentioned that various recommendations and resolutions had emerged out of the Congress but at the time he did not detail what were the main economic recommendations.

Asked last Thursday about some of these recommendations, he mentioned localized regional issues such as concerns over access to planting materials, job-creating economic ventures and alleged bullying of Indigenous persons on the ferry. It is strange that no mention was made of the critical issues facing Guyana today: the burgeoning oil and gas sector, the escalating cost of living, and the persistent blackouts.

Are we to assume, that no recommendations came out of the Congress on these issues? If this is the case then the failure to address the nation’s most pressing economic challenges would have reduced the 32^nd Congress to a farce.

The oil and gas sector is arguably the most significant development in Guyana’s recent history. Since the discovery of vast offshore oil reserves, the country has been poised for unprecedented economic growth. The management of these resources will determine whether the benefits reach the broader population or remain confined to a few.

If the Congress did not make any recommendation about this sector and the uses of the resources that will emanate from it, then it must be a sure case that the Congress missed an opportunity to outline a vision for the country’s future. Critical questions about transparency, environmental impacts, revenue sharing, and infrastructure development remain unanswered.

One would have assumed that for such an important gathering this issue would have taken center stage. You can bet that at both the forthcoming congresses of the PNC/R and the AFC, the oil and gas sector will be the subject of recommendations and resolutions.

The Vice President also did not indicate that there was any recommendation or resolution on the issue of the cost of living. Guyanese citizens are feeling the pinch. The delegates themselves would not be immune from the rising cost of living. From groceries to fruits and vegetables, the cost of everyday necessities has skyrocketed. Are we to believe that no recommendation of resolution emanated from the Congress on this issue?

If this is indeed the case, then the PPP Congress appeared disconnected from the daily struggles of the people. Was there no recognition of the need for the formulation of actionable and effective plans to alleviate the burdens which are being faced daily by the working class?

These burdens are not simply a function of global inflation. The rising cost of living is directly related to the emergence of the oil economy.

Blackouts remain a chronic issue in Guyana, disrupting businesses and daily activities. Modernising the energy grid and ensuring a reliable power supply should be at the forefront of any governmental agenda.

Are we to assume there was silence on this issue during the Congress? If so, it raises questions about whether the delegates are attuned to what is taking place in the country. The powership is supposed to be supplying electricity, but consumers are still facing power outages on a disturbing scale.

Vice President Jagdeo’s focus on localized issues, such as the Amerindians’ experience on ferries, while important, seemed to sidestep the broader national challenges. Addressing local grievances is vital, but it should not come at the expense of ignoring systemic, nationwide problems.

The Congress seeming inability to tackle these larger issues suggests a misalignment in priorities. It is crucial for the ruling party to have balanced attention between local and national issues. The seeming lack of a broad, national focus undermines the effectiveness and seriousness of the Congress.

If no significant recommendation or resolutions, concerning the oil and gas sector, the rising cost of living and blackouts, did not emerge from the 32^nd Congress of the PPP, it does raise concerns about what really took place over the first weekend in May.

If the Congress did not address the vital issues of the oil and gas sector, the cost of living, and energy stability, then it runs the risk of being accused of being out of touch with reality and further to being deemed a farce.

Perhaps in the interest of transparency, the General Secretary would wish to make public the main economic recommendations and resolutions that emerged from the Congress. Surely this cannot be asking too much!

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• Bharrat Jagdeo, Economic, recommendations, Regional, Vice President

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