MUCH has been said in various sections of the media about the bold and unprecedented ‘100-Day Action Plan’ that was promised by the coalition partners, when in Opposition.

The 21-point plan features prominently in the APNU+AFC coalition’s manifesto for the 2015 elections.

Broadly speaking, the Plan consists of a string of promises of what the coalition in Government would do to address major concerns of the Guyanese people.

Foremost among those concerns was pervasive corruption and the new Government has lost no time in setting up a Task Force to unearth fraud at several State agencies and to recover stolen or hidden assets.

This is an ongoing exercise which has already seen prosecution of at least one high Government official who was associated with the former regime, and on which we cannot make further comments at this time.

The coalition Government has announced both a Code of Service for ministers and a Code of Conduct for all office holders that bind them to high standards of integrity in public life and prescribes punishment and/or sanctions for misconduct in office.
Coupled with this was the passage in the National Assembly of the reformed Anti-Money Laundering Law that had brought proceedings in the 9th Parliament to a standstill. President David Granger has since given his assent to this Law which, when fully implemented, would put a halt to dirty money in the economy.

So, the coalition was off to a grand start, on a race towards the 100-day mark, which was strewn with hurdles such as a near bankrupt Treasury, a boycott of Parliament by the Opposition, then the resurrection of the false controversy by Venezuela over Guyana’s sovereign territory and cyclical floods that devastated most parts of our coastland.

But the prize that most people attach to the fulfilment of the 100-Day Action Plan would be the granting of wage and salary increases to public servants, the increase in old age pension, the reduction of the Berbice Bridge toll and lowering of taxes and duties payable by working people.

From early pronouncements made by Finance Minister Winston Jordan, it seems that the coalition Government is riding pretty well and closing in on all challenges to get past the winner’s tape.

It is without any doubt that this Government has done much in a short time and the evidence of this has been the almost beehive of activities in all spheres of public life by our new ministers.

There would be areas in which a 100% result has not been achieved but we must concede that this 100-day sprint would have challenged the best of any Government. Looking back after August 24, when the 100 days will end, we are sure all Guyanese would breathe with relief and say “It was not easy!”