ACKNOWLEDGING that it has returned to where it was prior to October 5, 1992, the People’s Progressive Party said it has resolved to wage a relentless and determined struggle against any malpractice by the new APNU+AFC coalition administration in and out of Parliament.The statement was made at the party’s weekly news conference on Monday. October 5, 1992 was the date when the PPP was swept into office after 28 years in the wilderness. The opposition party said the popular slogan should be “No more than five years for the APNU+AFC at Shiv Chanderpaul Drive”.
Thereafter, the PPP said “armed with a successful petition and with angry rice farmers, sugar workers and the many disaffected, disillusioned and disappointed Guyanese working people behind and in front of us and who would have already discarded the empty promise of a “Good Life” the PPP will once again return to office placing Guyana once again on its rightful path to economic and social development with a human face and a foreign policy characterised by good neighbourliness, peace and international cooperation with all countries of the world in pursuance of a New Global Human order.”
According to the PPP in observance and celebration of October 5, 1992, the PPP will be organising a number of events throughout the country. Among the activities will be three symposia in Demerara, Berbice and Essequibo, the symposium in Demerara will be held at Red House, Kingston, on Wednesday October 7, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. October 5th activities include; sports competition, panel discussions, family fun-days, cultural activities, lectures and outreaches in all the ten (10) Administrative Regions.
Meanwhile, the PPP reflected that 23 years ago on October 5, 1992 after 28 years in the political wilderness it was elected to office with Cheddi Jagan as President of the Republic. The party was elected to office under the elections campaign slogan “Time for Change, Time to Rebuild.”
“It was a momentous occasion that raised the hopes and expectations of the Guyanese workers, farmers, intellectuals, the business community, indeed the Guyanese people as a whole. Those 23 years were the longest the PPP ever was in office; at every single election since 1992, up to May 11, 2015, when it was once again, as was the case in 1964, cheated out of office, the PPP continuously and convincingly won each election the challenges it faced notwithstanding.”
The party said it is to be recalled that in 1953 having won the election in that year it was in office for a mere 133 days following the suspension of the Constitution by the British Government which led to the Party’s removal from office. “Later in 1957, following the victory at the elections held in that year the PPP remained in office up to 1964 when it was cheated out of office due to a combination of Anglo/American and local conspiracies and a change in the electoral system from first past the post to proportional representation.” The PPP said during these seven years the PPP accomplished many of its progressive social and economic programmes such as education reform, revamping the agricultural sector, industrialisation, an advanced health sector, establishment of the University of Guyana, the Bank of Guyana and the Guyana School of Agriculture to mention a few. The PPP has always held that, so long as free and fair elections are held in Guyana, the party will emerge victorious.”
Additionally, the PPP boasted that for 23 years it laboured in the vineyards at the national and regional levels implementing people-centered policies and programmes, fulfilment of which resulted in raising the living standards of the Guyanese working people, opening up opportunities for the private sector, expanding and facilitating the growth and “development of the national economy and constantly re-inventing, reshaping and refashioning governance structures in our country.”
The PPP said the architecture of the security sector was also further bolstered with significant reforms at all government agencies and departments in the security sector supported by the donor community and the national treasury. Guaranteeing the independence of the Judiciary, promoting the robustness and vibrancy of parliamentary democracy and pursuing a policy of peace, regional and international security and cooperation with Guyana’s immediate neighbours are also some of the ac