I OFTEN spoke of the government’s need to better respond to charges against them as quickly, factually and as publicly as possible, to prevent the wrong perceptions. Recently Minister Ali did just that in debunking Mr. Greenidge’s charges against the budget.
Some of the points made: When subsidies on water and electricity are added, the actual amount for pensioners add up to about $18,745. This is more than the opposition’s supposed demand of $15,000. GDP per capita

increased from US$1,694 in 2006 to US$3,148 in 2012. FDIs increased from US$104.2M in 2006 to US$1.3 billion in 2012. Loans by the banking sector amounted to $30.6 billion in 2006, in 2012 it jumped to $82.6 billion. If these facts are true, how is there no lack of progress?
 
Added to this is the fact that in the last seven years Guyana had an average growth rate of 4.5% which has outstripped growth rates among its sister CARICOM states. These facts help explain Guyana being removed from the group of Highly Indebted Poor Countries and reclassified as a Lower Middle Income developing country. It is mindless and certainly tragic for the opposition and their supporters to continue to claim that things are worst than before, instead of accepting these facts and whatever progress have been made and instead try to build on it for the good of all.