Jagdeo takes aim at Rickford Burke, ‘Washington Conference’ as Ali meets with Hakeem Jeffries

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The Washington Conference on Guyana, organized by the Caribbean-Guyana Institute on Democracy led by Rickford Burke, and other organizations, seems to be weighing heavily on the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) government. For weeks, during his weekly press conference, Vice President (VP) and General Secretary of the PPP, Bharrat Jagdeo, has been making utterances against the Conference.

The difference this week was to announce that the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, flew to Washington to address what he fears will be said at the Conference, scheduled to be held from September 27–28, 2023.

Jagdeo said that the President has three packed days of planned meetings to pursue an agenda to enlighten Washington policymakers about Guyana developments. The VP stated that the President would be meeting with several congressmen and NGOs to sensitize them to what’s happening in Guyana.

Jagdeo added, “I’ve seen some attempts by Rickford Burke predictably and some of his henchmen to mischaracterize the engagement with the Congressional Black Caucus,” but Jagdeo then lamented that Ali was not invited to the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) as he acknowledged that the President had been forced to request a meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Jagdeo said the meetings were, “to point out to them what’s taking place in Guyana, how inclusive his government has been, way beyond any APNU governments of the past.” The Government last Thursday night said it had met with Jeffries but issues of marginalization or discrimination were not raised.

Rickford Burke has said the Conference would address the racist and apartheid-like management of Guyana’s economy by the PPP administration. Burke identified inequity in the distribution of government resources such as contracts, cash grants, land grabs by the PPP, and the continued racism in the allocation of development projects between African Guyanese communities as against other communities in Guyana.