THE Government of Guyana has been aggressively pursuing a people-centred development course and incumbent Head of State, Donald Ramotar has assured residents of Orealla and Siparuta that this will result in new job opportunities for them and other Guyanese. 

The President on Monday visited the two riverain Amerindian communities along the Corentyne River, Region Six, which has a combined population of about 1,800.
He told the residents of the Administration’s pursuit of plans to build a deep water harbour in the Berbice River and a highway from Linden to Lethem to link Brazil, “so that Brazil and South America can do international trade through Guyana.” Government is also working with the Surinamese to bridge the Corentyne River.
“These are projects that will transform our country, transform the lives of our people, and that is why we are preparing our people through education… we want our people prepared and ready,” the President said.
Government, he added, is expending large sums to ensure the country’s human resources are highly qualified and skilled to take advantage of the opportunities that will be presented.
These, he said, will directly impact the prospects available to residents in Orealla and Siparuta by opening up new avenues for business from which they can capitalise.
“That will create new kinds of jobs, plenty of jobs and even the road itself – you have to have mechanic shops, tyre shops, vulcanizing shops, hotels, restaurants all of which can generate lots of jobs for people. Those are the things that the Opposition want to cut from the budget.”
The President said the global trends have shown that countries that focus extensively on the development of its human resources have progressed rapidly, and that is the direction Guyana is heading with the hope of having a highly skilled workforce that will attract more investments.
In this context, the government has been focusing heavily on the social sector to improve people’s quality of life, particularly education, which receives the largest portion of the social sector annual budget. These provisions include free text books, uniforms, education grants for school children and transportation and meals for children to attend school regularly.
Much investment has also been made in the provision of education for hinterland children, including the construction of dormitories.
Similarly, the health sector has recorded numerous strides, and in Orealla, there are now two resident doctors. In the past these villages had only health workers and visiting doctors. Persons from the community have also been trained as doctors and will return to serve.
Other plans for the areas include providing a boat ambulance, transportation to assist farmers to fetch their produce out from the farming areas, and linking the two communities by road, “so that we can have better communication, better transportation and help to improve the overall economy.”
However, President Ramotar warned of the deliberate attempts by the political opposition to stymie national development.
“We have an Opposition that has not been cooperating, they want power for power sake,” he said, noting that they have opposed the passage of critical pieces of legislations such as the Anti-Money Laundering Bill, the amendment to the environmental tax on imported bottled aerated drinks. The Opposition has also opposed money for development projects such as the Amalia Falls Hydroelectric Project, the airport expansion project, the Speciality Hospital and the Amerindian Development Fund. Money was also cut from the National Budgets in 2012, 2013 and 2014 by the Parliamentary Opposition using its one-seat majority in the Tenth Parliament, which was dissolved by President Ramotar in February 2015.
“This was a deliberate attempt by these people to stymie development in our country…this is not an Opposition that is interested in development. It is an Opposition that is interested in power for the sake of having power,” he reiterated.
The President acknowledged that both Orealla and Siparuta have challenges with the provision of some services, but noted that Government is continuously working to address those.
Among the issues on which the residents sought the President’s attention are governance and accountability at Orealla while those at Siparuta have requested improved access to potable water for residents on the hilltop, and power generation. (GINA)