Young people are thinking about the future – GS Jagdeo

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday commended the young people of the country, saying that their focus is fixed on the future and how they can play a productive role in building Guyana.

Dr Jagdeo was, at the time, referring to his interaction with several young people at an interactive youth forum organized by the University of Guyana’s Economics Society.

“We had a really good interaction there and I was really pleased that people are just thinking about the future and they are not going to be caught up with this nonsense that passes for analysis in so-called social media,” Dr Jagdeo highlighted.

The general secretary, who also performs the functions of vice president, said that they must take into account the economic history of Guyana when analysing the country’s growth and trajectory.

“So, when you check where we are today, you have to check where we were twenty years ago. And you know what [we] were; bankrupt, insolvent, poorer than Haiti, etcetera. Today, the most dynamic economy in this region and in the world,” he detailed.

Dr Jagdeo said he was pleased to hear the young people ask about lucrative areas of study that they can focus on to positively contribute to society.

Also at the forefront of the discussion was the question about engaging young people in a digital world where their focus might be directed elsewhere.

“I was really taken back by it because here is this young guy thinking about one of the biggest challenges we have. How do we get our young people to get to serious messages…how do we get this done? And it’s a national project that we need to undertake…that was a really good question,” he explained.

Speaking to a room packed with young people on Friday last, Dr Jagdeo charged those present to continue to play their role in changing the mindset and culture towards national development.

“It is people like you who have to change [this mindset]. Young people like you. That’s why I’m spending time here, talking about analyzing things in a bigger framework than what you just hear some man saying on the road…or on TikTok,” he posited.

As part of this approach, the vice president reiterated the administration’s commitment to listening to young people and incorporating their views into national development policies.

“The outreaches that we do is because the PPP remains connected to the ground. We do it as a matter of principle,” Dr Jagdeo explained.

Since assuming office in 2020, ministers of the PPP/C government have participated in a slew of engagement activities to ensure the voices of Guyanese are taken into consideration and their issues addressed.