Jagdeo says APNU+AFC’s lack of vision ‘troubling’

– ‘Incompetence’ reflected in contradictory budget presentations

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has once more blazed the APNU+AFC opposition for its lack of economic vision, which he said is very troubling as policy makers.

He doubled down on Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton’s utterances in the parliamentary debates, highlighting that many wild, unsustainable and contradictory promises are the meat of Norton’s presentations.

This predictable statement, according to Jagdeo exhibits the confusions and incompetence in the opposition. As a matter of fact, Norton on the final day of Budget 2025 debates, along with several other parliamentarians, touted a ‘people-centred strategy’ for development with investments to improve social services and alleviate the high cost of living.

However, it important to understand that this is the same opposition which constantly vilifies the government for using oil revenues to enhance critical services, including health, education and housing.

“He (Norton) then proceeded to lay out a plan that would double spending from oil resources and not just double spending from oil resources in a sustainable manner, but doubled it only for recurrent expenditure, not for capital expenditure,” Jagdeo pointed out.

For instance, the opposition had promises to increase wages and salaries in the public sector by 35 per cent, costing the treasury about $517 billion in recurrent expenditure.

This sum alone, according to Dr Jagdeo is more than the $512 billion in oil revenues that is partially funding the $1.382 trillion budget.

“Once you increase wages, you know you can’t cut it. You can cut a capital project. You can stop building a school or a road, but you can’t cut back wages for people,” he outlined.

Jagdeo pointed out that the opposition’s lofty promises are simply recycled government initiatives, and if they were to be vigorously examined, “you will find out how ridiculous they are and ludicrous they are.’

He believes that the opposition is merely attempting to expand on the government’s initiatives, including the increase in the Income Tax Threshold, which is now at $130,000, with they proposing to raise it to $400,000.  

“You can’t pay serious attention to the promises themselves…. this lack of vision is a troubling thing. And you heard what Nigel Hughes said too, it’s like the same PNC … For a party that’s already been in office for ages, they don’t have any plan for the future,” the GS lamented.