THERE is a saying that none so blind as those who would not see. This saying has much relevance in the context of a deliberate attempt to deny the role played by the PPP in the transformation of Guyana from a poor and backward country to one in which there is economic and social progress.Who can deny that life in Guyana is qualitatively better than before, which came about mainly because of the visionary leadership provided by the PPP/C Administration?

Vision is the ability to see things not as they are but as they will be in time. It is that ability to see ahead and, on the basis of a correct definition of the situation, to plan and strategize on the way forward.

But vision is not enough to transform a nation. Good leadership is what is required to translate vision into reality and it is the ability to provide visionary and strategic leadership over the decades that has been the defining characteristic of the PPP and the PPP/C Administration.

There is a tendency by the political Opposition, aided and abetted by some sections of civil society, to project a view that the PPP is found wanting when it comes to transformational leadership. Some even go to absurd levels by suggesting that the PPP lacks the intellectual capability to develop the country and all manner of derogatory remarks are being made against some party members.

The facts however will reveal that whatever progress was made took place largely under the stewardship of the PPP, both during the 1957-64 and the post-1992 period. Under the PNC regime, Guyana was reduced to a highly indebted poor country status. The country borrowed huge sums of money, not only from multilateral financial institutions such as the IDB, IMF and the World Bank, but also from several other countries.

At one time the country was deemed ‘uncreditworthy’ by the IMF after the PNC regime failed to repay loans and the high interest repayments which accumulated over the years.

The PPP/C Administration not only succeeded in writing off a significant proportion of the debt burden under the Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPIC), but it was able to exit the IMF programme after the economy developed to a point where there was no longer a dependence on IMF money. This was a very significant development and a re-affirmation of the country’s economic sovereignty in terms of our ability to chart our own developmental path, without external dictation.

These are some aspects of our developmental history which sometimes go unnoticed, but which speaks to our capacity as a nation to assert our national independence, not hitherto possible under the previous PNC regime.

Guyana is no longer a pariah nation which at one time was the laughing stock of the Caribbean and the world, but a country that has become a respected member of the international community of nations. This came about largely because of the efforts of the PPP and the PPP/C Administration to create a new society where there is full respect for the norms of democracy and the rule of law.

The PPP’s record of progress is unmatched when it comes to taking this nation along the path of sustainable development. This is why it is so important that the PPP/C is returned to power in the elections of May 11.

HYDAR ALLY