IT is with great joy that I inhale the news that Guyana’s ‘Economy grew by 5.9 per cent at half year’ and that ‘Robust growth (is) expected to continue’ for the rest of the year. The joy that I have in this announcement (I am sure) is shared by many Guyanese. So I cannot help but pen this short letter. This is because, due to the horrible legacy of an ‘onerous debt’ bequeathed by the PNC on this generation, most of Guyana’s revenue was ‘swallowed up’ in efforts to pay back borrowed money. So the announcement is really doubly joyful, as not only are debts beginning to be cleared, but money is available for local and necessary development.
According to the report, the performance thus far is really a building up from the previous uninterrupted positive growth achieved since 2006. Now for many lay people, actual detailed statistics may not have visible meaning. So it is important that the picture of growth and development be painted very clearly. I will only give two examples of how this translates.
The sugar sector returned a 30.5 per cent increase –that is like from one hundred to one hundred and thirty dollars. This translated into  export earnings from sugar by about the same amount. Just picture a roadside huckster, selling and making 100 dollars in 2010. Well, if that seller’s business improved by 20 percent, then the take home was 120 dollars. So readers as you think about the report, I am sure you will realize that Guyana has really come a far way. Here is a really good digression: even in the USA, this kind of growth cannot be experienced.
Here are some more word pictures- the rice industry rose by 23.3 per cent, meaning that if Guyana made 100 dollars last year, that figure is now 123 dollars; definitely a good omen for all Guyanese.  In fact, in every sector (Mining, Education, Health, Agriculture, Housing, and Information and Communication Technology), a significant improvement was experienced.
I urge all Guyanese to be committed. The work is in progress and will take a lot of effort and time, but I am sure, irrespective of challenges, Guyana will continue to grow.