Jagdeo says opposition ‘short-sighted’, again defends govt’s infrastructure investments

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo described the political opposition as “short-sighted” and again defended the government’s infrastructure investments as necessary ventures to support the population’s needs.

At his weekly press conference, Jagdeo highlighted the commencement of registration for the PAL motor vehicle series, only about three months after registration for the PAK series started. He reasoned that the rapid increase in new vehicles locally signals people’s growing prosperity, but also evidences why the government has to invest in the expansion of roads across the country.

So he knocked the opposition’s criticisms of the government’s infrastructure investments, emphasising that these ventures are crucial to support the population, whether it’s to reduce the amount of time spent on the roadways or to ensure that people have access to better facilities countrywide.

“Imagine if we had a short-sighted policy like that of the opposition. They’re saying that all the oil money in the budget must be distributed (directly to people), and nothing must go to infrastructure,” Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic, said on Thursday.

And he stressed, “We are committed to expanding the infrastructure of the country, modernising it.”

Beyond the infrastructure investments, Jagdeo pointed out that the government has still invested in key areas, including hiking public sector wages and salaries by about $105 billion since 2020, and investing in social services.