Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) – traditionally an APNU stronghold – has favoured the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) at this year’s Local Government polls.
The PPP won the majority of the votes in that township, with 1,784 compared to last LGE in 2018 where it had secured 1,145.
APNU in 2018 had received 1,521 votes while the Alliance For Change (AFC) had gotten 346, a total of 1,867 among the coalition partners. But at this year’s polls, APNU only secured 1,601.
“…which is over 600 [more] persons or so who voted for the PPP in a tiny, small community. Isn’t that a major change? That’s the definition of change. People rejected APNU in Bartica,” PPP General Secretary Dr Bharrat Jagdeo told a press conference today.
When it comes to seat allocations on the Bartica Town Council, PPP and APNU have tied but the chairmanship position is likely to go to the PPP based on the popular votes.
See results for Bartica posted by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on its website: https://gecom.org.gy/public/assets/docs/lge2023/form31s/7.01.pdf
See results for Bartica at the 2018 polls: https://gecom.org.gy/public/assets/docs/results/2018%20-%20Local%20Government%20Elections/D07/Municipality%20of%20%20Bartica.pdf
During a public meeting earlier this month in Bartica, residents were reminded by President Dr Irfaan Ali of the town’s importance to the country’s national development trajectory.
“The development plans that we have nationally, Region Seven is going to be integrated into that plan that links Region 10, that links the new highway to Lethem, that connects Region Seven to Region Three and Region Three to port Georgetown. The type of development we are planning in the national transformation programme, would feature Region Seven, particularly at the core of our development trajectory,” Ali had told the residents.
According to Ali, however, the completion of these plans requires leadership at the regional level that is prepared to work with the Government at the central executive level.
“It is important that we have leaders who can embrace the priority of the people, the priority of the township, the priority of development is its focus. And not the priority of political propaganda and mischief,” he had expressed.
The PPP/C has a number of transformative projects underway that are specifically targeted at Bartica.
These include the construction of the Timehri to Bartica road link, the upgrade to hospitals in Bartica, the construction of a $10 million bond at the Bartica Hospital, the introduction of the flagship initiative – Picture Archiving Computing System (PACS) at the Bartica Hospital, the establishment of a $26.3 million Maternal and Child Health Centre, Government’s solar farm project, recommencement of the Bartica Stelling project, commissioning of a $177 million modern Bartica Magistrate’s Court and the improvement in water services and delivery with the replacement of old transmission mains.
There is also the Linden to Lethem Road which, considering Bartica’s proximity to Linden, is expected to also benefit the township.
