‘We believe in our ministers, it’s just tough love’ – Jagdeo defends Ali’s fiery 5:30h meeting

President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s meeting with Permanent Secretaries, Engineers, Contractors and Ministers of the Government at 05:30h on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, has been the most engaging topic this week. Some have deemed the meeting, which addressed delays in many infrastructure projects for more than four months, as warranted while others said it was distasteful and a bad reflection of the Government.

At his press conference on Thursday, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo defended the route taken by the President, noting that the Government believes in the capability of its Ministers, but must show “tough love” when required.

“This is called tough love, that is how we work, it is tough love. We believe in our Ministers and their competence, that’s tough love and how we work,” he told reporters and those tuned into the livestream of the press conference.

According to Jagdeo, the concerns addressed during Tuesday’s meeting directly resulted from complaints received from citizens across the country.

“We’re not disconnected from the people…people would send me a picture of a road… What you saw there is just because a number of people might have complained to the President and he spoke on those issues to see that those people voices are also heard,” Jagdeo explained.

According to the Vice President, the President’s meeting is only reflective of issues with 5% of the public contracts.

“We are not going to just ignore the 5% that has not been done well, the shoddy work etc., just to create an impression that everything has been done good…,” he noted.

According to Jagdeo, there are nearly 2,000 small contractors who have been working on small contracts and have been doing a good job. He outlined other improvements that are ongoing to provide a better standard of living to the people of Guyana.

The Vice President compared the stance taken by his government to that of the former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government.

“[Former President David] Granger was never on the ground, he never consulted with people on the ground, he never visited communities, at his own event – a rally where people sought to take a photo with him, they had to do so with a cardboard cutout. He had no engagement on the ground, was not concerned with their problems” the Vice President noted, adding that “there was a great deal of arrogance, aloofness.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, President Ali sent a clear message to delinquent contractors and complacent government officials, warning them that delays and mismanagement in public projects will not be tolerated.