THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is heartened as Norway has once again expressed confidence in Guyana. On Thursday, May 07, our country received a payment of G$8 billion; one billion more than last year’s payment. This brings the total sum received from Norway to $38 billion.This announcement of Norway’s confidence was made by President Donald Ramotar during a televised address to the nation. The PPP underscores that couched in this reality are some very sobering thoughts pertaining to the excellent governance of Guyana overall, and specifically as it relates to stewardship of the country’s large forest.

The President expounded that this payment was possible because of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), as “it is about earning real money that is being spent on addressing serious problems faced by normal Guyanese. That’s where all the money, including the $8 billion now received, will be spent.”

The Head of State further enumerated the benefits of the money Guyana has received, explaining that the country has now deployed US$120 million into projects, which are enabling the rehabilitation of Cunha canal that will protect Georgetown, and the communities and farms along the Mahaica River from floods.

He emphasized: “Using money earned under the LCDS, the government has also been working with local financial institutions to create hundreds of low carbon jobs. The LCDS has supported eco-tourism operators in several regions, which is now attracting more and more tourists to Guyana. The LCDS has also supported hundreds of Amerindian villages in preparing their community development plans, which will help to generate new job opportunities in the hinterland.”

Reasons Norway paid Guyana
The PPP urges all Guyanese to stop and think about what Norway has done and more so why. It should be noted that Norway is not about ‘cheap politics’, nor is it about vendetta. The country does business based on empirical evidence, incontrovertible facts and globally accepted analysis. Therefore all monies from Norway to Guyana were paid based on the derivatives of a process involving globally respected experts, employed not by Guyana, but by the Norwegian Government itself. Hence the Norway/Guyana pact cannot, in anyway, be slighted by anyone, especially those of the opposition camps.
The PPP is aware that Norway has ensured from the inception, quite a number of things, where this partnership is concerned:
1. Assessment of Deforestation in Guyana and Guyana’s Forest Governance–these have been thoroughly checked in accordance with globally accepted standards. Thus Guyanese have every reason to be proud, as the results and findings keep showing that the Opposition parties are all about irresponsible lies. It must be emphatically noted that Guyana’s Deforestation is low and that its Forest Governance standards are extremely high. This means that the people of this land can repose feelings of security in the PPP/C Government, knowing that it is preserving Guyana’s natural patrimony, this to a higher standard and with a greater intensity than in most parts of the world.

2. Financial transfers have been devoid of any form of corruption–these were all handled by a combination of the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations. This reality the Opposition knows, therefore, the idea that these groups are corruptly conspiring with the Government of Guyana is most preposterous.

The PPP calls for those in the Opposition who keep making wild claims about the country’s deforestation and about financial mismanagement, to be condemned by all Guyanese.
The PPP/C posits that Guyanese must ask themselves who must be believed? Who are more right and honest? Many Opposition operatives are furiously pursuing a hateful, emotional, anti-development agenda. If there were anything untoward where this partnership is concerned, then it is quite logical that the Norwegian Government and/or the three mentioned global financial institutions operating the project, would have unearthed those people contravening the ethics, laws and transparency governing the partnership.
This most recent development confirms that the international community does not believe the Opposition’s unfounded and false accusations of corruption and poor governance.