Dear Editor
THE major theme of the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government, as consistently enunciated by its leader and President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, David Granger, has been “The Good Life’’ for all.

This means, in very simple and unencumbered language, that all citizens of this nation, irrespective of race/ethnicity, and political affiliation being able to live in a country where its government, without recourse to discriminatory governance, provides socio-economic benefits that will not only enhance lives, thus creating for better and comfortable living; but that which will also add stock to theirs and their family’s daily lives.

As recent as October, 2018, when he again addressed the 11th Parliament, the president reminded the packed assembly and the nation by extension: “The State’s principal objective is to secure the good life for all. ‘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…”

But the president did not stop there at the material aspect of self-improvement and sustainable, personal advancement, economically. He alluded to “access to quality public services and promoting social cohesion”; the “elimination of extreme inequality’’ and “the removal of social, ethnic and geographic inequalities.’’

This points to a grand visionary plan, already in train since 2015, which points to regions and their respective communities being inclusive in the national socio-economic development plans of the country, where for example, each will have capital towns; vital infrastructure such as improved network of adequate roads, bridges, stellings and wharves; hospitals and medical clinics with essential primary- care facilities for health challenges such as non–communicable diseases and reduction of child mortality rates; more schools for the key policy of primary and secondary education that assures every child a place in school; social meeting places such as community centres; and the all seminal, modern communication method of Information Technology for both educational and social purposes; and community radio stations which play a major role in sharing news and educational information for hinterland residents.

A most important attribute of the coalition’s “good life” for the nation of Guyanese people has been a revamped housing programme that is affordable, and within the reach of every Guyanese. This is a significant removal from the previous administration’s policy that resulted in low occupancy rate of thousands of purchased house-lots, because of the inability of purchasers to secure mortgages. There is even the IDB-funded sustainable housing programme which now affords the opportunity to owners of dwellings considered uninhabitable, to secure funding for improvement to such structures. Persons who will benefit from this very important housing enhancement initiative will be contributing only $100,000.

Guyana’s recent history of socio-economic development has been a tragic, brutal record of inequality, which was blatant in its exclusion of a particular section of the nation, while outright in its abundant reward for another. It is the kind of discrimination that could have easily been discerned on visits to communities along the coastland. Shockingly deliberate in the kind of physical environment that was perpetuated, it has been one of the major mastheads of outright ethno-economic prejudice that is a monument to racism in Guyana.
It is to these specific socio-development inequalities, and others of a similar nature that exist in many other communities, that BUDGET 2019 now seeks to remedy, through its multi-billion socio-economic programmes which are directed to each region, towards bringing about the kind of infrastructural development which is considered both essential and equal, whereby all can enjoy not only a better quality of life, but the same level of social amenities as their sister regions.

On a recent visit to the South Rupununi village of Achiwuib, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, addressing residents reminded them: “When we speak of the ‘good life’ of all Guyanese, we mean that the ‘good life’ must come to every Guyanese, so if you never had water, the ‘good life’ means getting water to you; if you never had a radio, “the good life” means getting information and radio to you; if you never had electricity in any form, “the good life” means getting that to you and so your government is on a trajectory, is on a path to developing this country, house to house, community to community, village by village, town by town and all across this country, we will develop it in an equitable manner.” This is a process that has been changing thousands of lives and communities gradually, and for the better.

Regards
Shawn James