WHEN I arrived at the Parliament Building on Thursday last, I immediately noticed that the atmosphere was just right for the day’s ceremonial event: an address by President David Granger at the start of a new session of the National Assembly.

In the foreground, were three groups with banners and placards. In a celebration of Guyana’s open democracy, one group was assuring solidarity for the coalition government; the second calling for legalisation of marijuana; and the third demanding final payment of redundancy monies to sugar workers.

I thought immediately that this week’s column should be titled: ‘Granger, Ganja and Paisa’, but decided against this after I had listened to the President’s address.
President Granger was composed and in total control of his message. As he spoke, I realised that his was no ordinary address: he was cataloguing achievements just three years after taking office, which sent a clear message that the coalition government is here to stay. He was, as I told him afterwards, preparing the pitch for the 2020 elections.

GOOD WICKET
I was not the only one who came to that conclusion. The opposition benches were disconcerted, squirming uncomfortably, probably realising that the coalition government was batting on a good wicket — and scoring big. I mentally caricatured the posture of the opposition when an otherwise vociferous backbencher placed his hands over his head, which was bent over his desk, in apparent silent submission and resignation, as if to say, “All gone, Lake!”

The President didn’t bowl any bouncers; just slow, soft spin. The objective of his government, he remarked, is to secure the ‘good life’ for all. No one could fault or contradict that, as he explained:

“The ‘good life’ entails providing every citizen with opportunities to be the best that they can be. The ‘good life’ is about securing sustained economic prosperity, ensuring citizens’ access to quality public services, and promoting social cohesion.

“The ‘good life’ involves eliminating extreme poverty and removing social, ethnic and geographic inequalities. The ultimate indicators of the good life are happy communities, happy households and happy people.”

Carefully and methodically, the President presented the score-sheet on how well the government has done to further the nation’s social agenda, in order to incrementally secure “happy households and happy communities.”

ACCESS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
The entire nation would back a government that is building a first-class education system, with emphasis on providing access to education, attendance and achievement.
The first round of applause greeted the announcement that the Public Education Transport Service has distributed 1,254 bicycles, 28 buses and nine boats to help get our children to school, “without expending a dollar from the government coffers.”

President Granger was extraordinarily modest about this unprecedented achievement. It is his initiative, emerging from his 70th birthday, when he had said that he didn’t want personal gifts. Donors were invited to help the nation’s children by providing transportation facilities. The ‘Three Bs’ later included boots and books. Then, the Ministry of Education expanded the school-feeding programme by adding a daily hot meal, mostly for pupils in hinterland areas.

As a former teacher during a time when the main educational tools were chalk and talk, the innovations in today’s education system must bring deserved credit to this government, which has reversed the failure of our students at competitive examinations. Today, apart from textbooks, our schools get musical instruments, micro-science kits, and toolkits for mathematics, literacy and social studies, and sports equipment.

The young and vibrant Nicolette Henry, as Minister of Education, has breathed new life into the education system, and should be identified with the changes taking place. It must be, therefore, with justification and pride, that the President reported to the National Assembly that at the National Grade Six Assessment exams, the percentage passes in English moved from 42 per cent in 2016 to 60 per cent in 2018; Mathematics moved from 14 per cent in 2016 to 38 per cent in 2018; and Science from 28 per cent to 46 per cent.

Only a blind narcissist would not recognise the transformative effect of the government’s people-oriented policies. These include, for example, a river ambulance being provided for Orealla Village, way up the Corentyne River, “to transport and provide medical interventions for pregnant mothers and other emergency cases en route to the nearest health facility”, or provision of Maternity Waiting Homes for high-risk, pregnant mothers, particularly those from the hinterland regions.

Also, the forward-looking “housing solutions” for 2019 will see development works in nine new housing areas; completion of 450 housing units; and installation of electricity in eight communities. In addition, more than 31,600 persons have benefited from access to potable water for the first time. New water-treatment plants are being built at Uitvlugt, Diamond and Sheet Anchor, to provide improved access to potable water for more than 50,000 persons next year, when eight new wells would also flow in our Indigenous communities.

‘GREEN’ GROWTH
The 2019 Budget has to be crafted, within the financial means of the state, “to sustain and improve the delivery of social services.” According to the President, Budget 2019 will be based on “the theme of transformation for sustainable development and ‘green’ growth towards achieving the good life.” It will place emphasis on economic diversification, and on new and emerging sectors such as agro-processing, information communications technology, and ecotourism.

Nothing gives me greater pride than to see the emergence of small, independent agro-processors who have placed on shop shelves a wide variety of local products.
Though the President did not speak to the issue of marijuana, it is the government’s known policy to reform sentencing laws that would ensure that no one goes to jail for possession of small quantities of this substance.

As for the understandable clamour by a cluster of cane-cutters for severance payment, it is a bankable promise that the additional sum of about $2.5B would be paid after funds are approval by parliament.

What the President avoided, however, is the hypocrisy of the opposition which had ruined the sugar industry, ran it into bankruptcy with an indebtedness of $85B and unashamedly jumping on the bandwagon of feigned sympathy for sugar workers over the severance pay issue. Under our government, the affected workers would get their ‘paisa’ soonest!

FIRST OIL
Guyanese surely want to hear about the future; the announcements in Parliament about first-oil and a Natural Resources Fund would come to them as sweet melody to the ears. The whole world looks at Guyana, and come 2020, or hopefully before, Guyanese will not only smell, but begin to taste the better life.

Above all, a grateful nation recorded gratitude to Vice-President Carl Greenidge and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their efforts to protect, in the President’s words, “our national patrimony” by representing successfully that the long-standing controversy between Guyana and Venezuela be referred to the International Court of Justice for a final and definitive settlement.

Parliament reconvened in an atmosphere of optimism. While our achievements are many, better days are ahead. Though the President used a light roller, the pitch is already well prepared for the exciting 20/20 contest ahead.