GUYANA – President Irfaan Ali returned a series of questions to a reporter from Kaieteur News after he was asked to simply share his government’s plans to increase the spending power of Guyanese, should his party be re-elected to govern the country in the next Regional and General Elections.
The Head of State was just about ready to conclude his press conference at State House, Georgetown when he fielded a final question from a male reporter attached to this newspaper. The President was specifically asked to explain the government’s plan to increase the spending power of Guyanese should the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) be elected to govern this country in the upcoming Elections, scheduled for 2025.
This question comes at a time when citizens have been complaining about the high cost of living in the country and the daily struggle to make ends meet, despite having an abundance of oil and gas resources.
Ali who seemed unprepared for the question took the familiar path of Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, to not only dodge the issue but humiliate the journalist publicly.
The President said: “The government’s plan is to win the next elections by a greater majority.”
When he was pressed to say how the administration would increase the spending power of citizens if it is re-elected, Ali stated, “We have been continuously increasing the availability of resources, improving the livelihood of people and increasing the disposable income in the pockets of persons. I just gave you an example of the housing programme and how it’s linked to increase your disposable income.”
In his opening remarks, the Head of State alluded to the housing programme of the government and expounded on how property value has increased.
As such, the President went on to ask the reporter his age, where he lives and whether he owned a house. He even asked the young man if he had ever applied for a house lot but when the 28-year old responded in the negative, the Head of State instructed, “Well sit down. You are not participating on the enhancement of your own life…at 28 years you should be making better life decisions.”
Since Ali’s press conference last Thursday, a number of citizens shared the clip of the President’s response to the question, calling him out for failing to address this critical issue.
Such tactics have been employed in the past by other members of the PPP, including Vice President Jagdeo. In fact, the government officials are known to be hostile in their response to non-state reporters who often pose unexpected and direct policy-related questions. (Kaieteur News)…[+]