The transformation of Guyana has been like a runaway train since the PPP/C’s accession to office in 1992, with even the congestion on the roadways by various types and makes of vehicles bespeaking a level of prosperity in the common man hitherto unparalleled in the country, and the indicators to individual and national wealth accrual is the continuum of new and emerging challenges to development at personal and national levels, almost all facilitated, if not driven, by the Administration.
The Princess Hotel, the National Stadium at Providence, newly-built banking establishments, a dynamic educational sector that is emerging out of the abyss to again take its place as a super-achiever in the Caribbean, modernized hospitals across the country, private homes and housing schemes – the list is endless.
Guyanese are eschewing the segregation that once impeded national and personal development in the past and are embracing proactive initiatives that have been structured to empower persons, especially the vulnerable, and re-orient communities toward productive endeavours for income-generational activities, and nowhere is this more evident than in the communities of Region 10.   Residents of Linden say that theirs is a town in transition.  The spanking new hospital, a multiplex being established by businessman Dunston Barrow, and other mushrooming enterprises indicate a town on the move, but a town that has a great way to go before it reaches its full potential.
Exploring that potential is President Bharrat Jagdeo, who is determined that the remainder of his term in office would take the Guyana developmental train, started by Dr. and Mrs. Jagan, and continued to be guided on its journey by the crew they left behind under the stewardship of Bharrat Jagdeo, reaches its destination where all the citizens of Guyana have achieved comfortable and even prosperous lives within their own homes.
All over the country the Ministers and other Government officials are working assiduously to develop strategies to circumvent the derailment of the development train and enhance the lives of the citizens of the land.
The highly-charged reception by the residents of Linden to the President during the last two Cabinet outreaches heralded great achievements through collaborative initiatives in the future. The cordial interactions between the President and the people of Linden bespoke a willingness on the part of everyone to address national developmental issues without the traditional impediment of politics.

During a prior Cabinet Outreach to Region 10 the President had said that, because persons are not aware of all the facts surrounding issues being dealt with by the Government, their misconceptions often lead them to judge the administration harshly and unkindly. He then enumerated some of the investments in the human capital and developmental works being done in Linden.
According to the President at that Outreach, the recurrent budget for Region 10 approximates $1.5 billion, with the capital budget being $950 million, which tallies to over $2 billion. He said that the newly-commissioned hospital cost in excess of $2 billion, and that over $12 billion was spent in the last seven years to subsidize electricity in the area, and the subsidy for 2010 would approximate $2.2 billion – about US$11 million.  Explaining that expenditure in Region 10 is greater per capita, the President says that he still hears people say that Government neglects the Region.
The President referred to the attempt by the administration to create employment for 360 residents through D&I projects, saying that the monthly wage bill for those workers is close to $8 million, which tallies to $96 million per year.
He said that, despite a bad start, one hundred and eleven persons are now employed at the call centre. He also alluded to the empowerment enabled by LEAP of many persons, and informed that a similar programme is currently being negotiated and will soon be implemented upon completion of formalities and the organizational structure.
President Jagdeo pledged his commitment to work with the financial institutions to ensure that members of the community have greater access to banking services.
Disputing neglect of Region 10 or any other community, the President said that the Government is even-handed in the management and distribution of the resources of the country.  He explained that stability in our economy has enabled the Government to continue to provide requisite services in an equitable manner in the country despite a global recession.  Quoting statistics, the President informed that in the USA over 10 million persons lost their homes because they could not service their mortgages, while another estimated 10 million lost their jobs; and that in China 40 million persons lost their jobs and that trillions of dollars were wiped out because of stock exchange volatility; when all these things were happening in the world our country had a positive growth rate in the economy, with our revenue being higher than that of the previous year, which was the second highest growth rate in the Western Hemisphere – the entire Latin America and the Caribbean.
Explaining that this was as a result of making right decisions and fixing the economy at the macro level, the President referred to previous years – when in excess of 94 percent of our income, approximately US$100 million annually, was being used to service external debt, which was inherited by his administration. The President explained that, because his administration had repaid US$1.5 billion, which equates to G$300 billion, our economy has been freed up to pursue investment in social services and developmental works in the country.  According to the President, because the debt is no longer a burden, future generations will no longer have a debt of such magnitude to service.
He listed some of the accomplishments that this extra revenue has enabled, which include investments in human capital and social and physical infrastructural works, which are being delivered with equitable distribution all across the country.
He explained that, despite the Jamaican economy crumbling because their bauxite industry was incapacitated as a result of the global crisis, Guyana has still tried to sustain the bauxite industry in Linden through BOSAI and RUSAL so that the thousand-odd jobs can still be retained, even though the Chinese company had serious problems with world market prices for aluminum falling by about 100 percent, because it is the focus of the Government to sustain industries by working with the investors and creating a friendly environment, despite difficulties, in order to retain jobs.  However, the President says that the value-added approach is imperative and that plans to build an integrated aluminum smelter has not been abandoned, nor has the Marriott project, merely delayed because the investors have been affected by the global recession.
President Jagdeo expressed his dissatisfaction in no uncertain terms with the services being delivered to the public by public servants and others employed to serve in the various governmental institutions, as well as officers at regional levels, which he says is derailing Government’s programmes and efforts to provide optimum services to the Guyanese public.  He said that he is aware that the salaries has not reached the levels desired by the Government, but that if persons are dissatisfied they should leave the job and make way for others who would appreciate the employment opportunity and not attempt to derail Government initiatives by subverting systems and providing less than satisfactory services to the public.  He is resolute that this will be addressed so that the populace will not be shortchanged in the future, especially in the education and health sectors.
He tasked the Ministers and other officials
to work harder in addressing the problems of the citizens of the land, with special mention made of Housing Minister Irfaan Ali’s target to access to applicants 17,000 new house lots within a few years.  He said that, as we change the economic circumstances of our country, we also have to change our attitude to managing things.
In 1992 the dawn of a new era heralded massive changes in a challenging national landscape of social, psychological, financial, and infrastructural destruction in Guyana. Through dynamic efforts by Guyanese from every sector in the Administration, who span all the divides – racial, cultural, and political, the synergies of the nation has breached developmental dimensions until we are no longer seen as beggars on the world stage, but as policy setters, mainly through Guyana’s President and the Champion of the Earth.