Every citizen looks forward to a good quality of life, one in which he could provide for himself and his family with the basic necessities of life. These include a home, a job which can earn him enough to provide for his material and cultural needs and that of his family, accessible health care and of course a good quality of education.

These are the more visible aspects of quality living but there are also some intangibles which cannot be seen but which are equally important in the determination of quality living.
These include freedom of speech, freedom to elect a government of one’s choice, freedom to worship and freedom of association among other freedoms.

In Guyana the current PPP/C administration has made considerable strides in terms of the realization of this good life since it took over the mantle of governance from the PNC in October 1992.

This is manifested in the number of homes that have been constructed over the past decade and a half, as well as the great strides made in the provision of water and other social goods including a better quality education and health care.

One consequence of these interventions is the fact that our children today are doing much better at schools in local and regional examinations.

It is not fortuitous that our Guyanese children are almost consistently topping the Best Student Awards  at the CXC examinations.

The performance gap between our Guyanese students and their regional counterparts is getting smaller thanks to a number of interventions by the Government of Guyana to upgrade the quality of education delivery.

The same is true of the health sector which has seen over the years significant improvements in terms of longevity rates, infant and child mortality rates, maternal deaths, immunization rates among other basic indicators.

There are some things that we sometimes take for granted. Take for example the ease with which we travel on our roads. There are no longer pot holes and bumpy rides as in the past from Timehri all the way to Crabwood Creek.

QUOTE: ‘I am optimistic about the future of this country which has the potential to once again re-assert itself as the breadbasket of the Caribbean. We have natural and mineral resources including rich and fertile agricultural land, a vast eco-tourist potential and more importantly an innovative and creative population.

The good life is not beyond our reach. But it will remain a distant dream unless we put our country above narrow partisan interests.’

The long agonizing wait to cross over the Berbice River is no longer there, thanks to the construction of the Berbice River Bridge.

A similar situation obtains at the Takutu Bridge which now makes it easier for vehicles to cross the two adjoining countries of Guyana and Brazil.

Another measure of quality of life is the extent to which people participate in recreational and cultural activities.

The seawall on the East Coast corridor stretching from Kingston all the way to Liliendaal is indicative of enhanced spending power with literally hundreds of people converging on a tiny strip of sea wall in picnic-like fashion.

Quality of life could also be seen in the number of vehicles on the roads today which has clearly outstripped the roads network and certainly the available parking places in central Georgetown.

It is a virtual nightmare to find parking spots in some parts in Georgetown especially during peak hours. The situation is made worse by the number of restricted parking places.

All of this is not to suggest that we have created the perfect society. There is still a lot of catching up to do to bring Guyana on even keel with our Caricom countries. Our per capita income is still relatively low by Caribbean standards, even though we have done much over the past decade or so to bridge the income gap.

Much of the difficulties were inherited from the previous administration which over its two decades of undemocratic rule put the country in reverse gear when other countries in the region were moving forward. There are some who take offence over  any mention of the wasted years  under the previous PNC administration but one must place our development in a historical context if it is to be fully understood and appreciated.

Be that as it may, the task before all of us to find ways to fast track Guyana’s development even though I am aware that there is no quick fix to our economic and social problems which we inherited from the past. It is possible however to accelerate the pace of national development if we mobilize our full development potential in the development process.

Our overseas based Guyanese can and should play a greater role in the mobilization of resources for development.

I am optimistic about the future of this country which has the potential to once again re-assert itself as the breadbasket of the Caribbean.

We have natural and mineral resources including rich and fertile agricultural land, a vast eco-tourist potential and more importantly an innovative and creative population.
The good life is not beyond our reach. But it will remain a distant dream unless we put our country above narrow partisan interests.