“They did nothing for the community”- Jagdeo calls out APNU for attempting to undermine development in Laing Avenue

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has dismissed claims by the PNC-led APNU Opposition that there is a $500,000 home improvement subsidy available to residents of Laing Avenue, Georgetown.

This came after the General Secretary visited the community earlier this month and committed to a $50 million Home Improvement Programme for the residents of Laing Avenue and Yarrow Dam.

The APNU then misinformed the residents that there is an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) grant given to the Government of Guyana, and each home must collect $500,000 from this grant.

“There is absolutely no such programme,” Dr. Jagdeo clarified in a press conference at Freedom House, Robb Street on Thursday.

He criticised the tactics employed by the APNU, accusing them of neglecting the community and attempting to undermine the efforts of the PPP to bring positive change to the area.

“That is how they [APNU] work, they did nothing for the community, and when the PPP try to do something for the community, they then come up with this to downplay it and to take away its potency,” he emphasised. 

According to the General Secretary, many of the residents had complained about their living conditions and engaged him before the Local Government Elections seeking government assistance.

Following the elections, he visited the East Ruimveldt area, where he met with a group of residents from Laing Avenue and committed to working with them on a housing programme.

Subsequently, a committee was formed, comprising residents from each area, to help move the process forward.

“They claimed its their stronghold, they then realised that a number of people may come to the meetings for the home improvement programme so they started spreading a rumor that became very potent,” he stated.

An estimated 252 households are set to benefit from the Home Improvement Programme to be launched by the government.