WITH just a little more than two months into Donald Ramotar’s presidency, a number of promises he had made while on the campaign trail leading up to the November 28, 2011 Regional and General Elections, have been brought to fruition. During the campaign, the Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic administration came in for severe criticism from the opposition political parties who attempted to convince the electorate that the promises being made were merely empty ones.
However, this  did not go down well with the majority of the electorate since they were convinced that the promises made were realistic, taking into consideration  the PPP/C’s track record for the past 19 years.
Immediately after the elections results were announced and Donald Ramotar was declared president, he summoned the opposition parties to a meeting at Parliament Buildings to discuss the way forward for Guyana and a possible date for the convening of the 10th Parliament. The president subsequently continued this culture in meeting with leaders and members of the opposition, and a number of important issues were discussed. This engagement continued after which an agreement was reached for the parties to engage in discussions on a number of issues, such as the selection of the Speaker of the National Assembly, the national budget and other topical, critical issues.
The opposition parties sidestepped this agreement when they got together and chose the Speaker without consulting with the PPP/C.
The ruling party then contended that the process was a breach of parliamentary democracy and in violation of what is practised in Commonwealth Parliaments.
Still, President Ramotar’s administration said it remained committed to talks with the opposition since it is in the interest of Guyanese and in moving ahead with the country’s business.
During the campaign season, President Ramotar, who was at that time the Presidential Candidate of the PPP/C, had indicated his intention to work along with opposition political parties and other bodies, once their interest is in the development of Guyana and the Guyanese people. These continued consultations can be seen as one of the promises fulfilled.
Only last week President Ramotar met with newly elected speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, and they discussed the opening of the 10th parliament scheduled to take place on Friday, when the President will give an address.
Another promise brought into realisation is that of the setting up of the Tax Advisory Committee to review the taxation system. During the campaign season, this issue was a topical one after a number of parties used it to woo the electorate, promising to review and reduce the value added tax (VAT), should they win the elections. The party’s manifesto that was launched in October last promised to examine options for making the tax system more family friendly, including through personal income tax relief conditional on a number of dependent children
The president has recommitted to continuing dialogue with the religious community while on the campaign trail as well. This was practised under the leadership of former President Bharrat Jagdeo. Only last week President Ramotar reassured the religious community that he will continue dialogue with the various religious organisations, since they can play a pivotal role in the development of the country. He reaffirmed that his administration will prioritise the setting up of an inter-religious television channel this year.
With the fulfilment of these pledges and more to be realised, the argument that the government is in the business of making empty promises has been put to rest.
. It also indicates that the Ramotar-led Administration is prepared to “Walk the Walk”.