DESPITE an opposition boycot of his address to the National Assembly on Thursday, President David Granger said there are plenty of avenues for the government and opposition to collaborate, asserting that the two sides of the house have not always disagreed and at times found common ground.

The People’s Progressive Party boycotted the President’s address in support of accused fraudster, Carvil Duncan who was suspended on Monday from holding constitutional offices.

In his address, the head of state said that as Guyana celebrates its fiftieth anniversary of Independence this year, “We are celebrating the Year of Renaissance; We owe it to future generations to use the remaining months and days of this year to build bridges across the abyss of discord. The two sides of this House have not always disagreed. They have found common ground in the pursuit of the common good at times,” the Guyanese leader said.

He told the assembly that the avenues for compromise and consensus remain open. “Guyana is pursuing a people-centered ‘green agenda’. This agenda can become a platform for increased political cooperation. Our legislative agenda is evidence of the scope for consensus.”

According to the President his administration’s aim is to develop a cohesive society in which confrontation is replaced by cooperation. “The removal of inequalities based on geography and ethnicity will lay the foundation for a better ‘quality of life’ for everyone. We will work to reduce prejudice and violence. We will fashion a multi-cultural society characterised by tolerance and mutual respect,” the head of state said.

Afterthought
In a swift response to the President’s address Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo said: “We have heard this, it is almost like an afterthought. So you are all criminals, you left us with a bad economy, your environmental policy was terrible. Then he repeats all of what he believes are original ideas, they are not, they are our policies, and then says I still think there is room for us to work, he said this many times, it is all rhetoric. Has the President ever done anything significant to move this forward? He has this Social Cohesion Ministry that is more partisan than anything else with Amna Ally. Amna Ally is a partisan person…In fact they are using it as a slush fund, for people to travel and do party work. He does not mean it,” Jagdeo vented.

Good governance
Meanwhile, touching on the issue of governance, President Granger said his administration is committed to this, adding that they are committed to reforming the Constitution and will, in this regard, convene a Consultative Constitution Reform Commission in 2017. “We have demonstrated our determination to ensure that local government elections are held. We will, without fail ensure that elections are held every three years as required by the Constitution. Citizens’ right to elect the representatives of their choice at free and regular elections will not be suspended again. Public policy will be undergirded by an inclusionary political process. The empowering of local communities through the holding of the historic local government elections of 18th March, 2016 created a platform for government to be brought closer to the people and for authority to be exercised through their own elected representatives.”

According to the President the derailment of public policy marked by the PPP’s, “Bizarre determination not to conduct local government elections by uprooting neighbourhood democratic councils and by imposing a perverse form of dictatorship on local government organs has been brought to an end.” He said the previous administration’s disrespect shown to the public service by abandoning the principle of collective bargaining with the Guyana Public Service Union demoralised the Service. “The arbitrary imposition of salary increases damaged the Service’s professional ethos undermining the careers of public servants through the appointment of political permanent secretaries.

The President also spoke about the projection of Guyana’s national interest abroad, noting that this will ensure the protection of our interests at home. “This requires a professional Foreign Service to ensure that the national interest is advanced internationally. Our principal foreign policy objective is the safeguarding of our territorial integrity and sovereignty. Our diplomats will be aggressively pursuing increased trade and investment.”

He said Guyana will assume the Chairmanship of the Caribbean Community in January 2017 and will use that opportunity to continue the process of the strengthening of the pillars of regional integration and advance the development of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). “We adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of which the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are compatible with Guyana’s social agenda. The 2017 National Budget will reflect the harmonisation of the SDGs with our national development plans, particularly in the social sector. The 2017 National Budget will be laid in this House in a few weeks’ time.

Consultative process
Meanwhile, the President said the preparation of this year’s Budget started several months ago and has been characterised by an inclusive and consultative process. He said it will be designed around a results-based format and will be guided by the objectives of fiscal sustainability, institutional sustainability and environmental sustainability. “Budget measures will include renewable energy generation and improved energy efficiency–key initiatives of our green agenda.”

The President said Guyana’s future is linked to renewable energy generation and increased use of energy-efficient technologies. “We will graduate our economy increasingly towards greater renewable energy use across all sectors of Guyana. Government buildings will be powered, eventually, by renewable energy sources and will utilize energy-efficient technologies. Incentives will be offered to the private sector to follow the government’s lead.” The 2017 National Budget will evince measures aimed at developing a more diversified and climate-resilient agricultural sector. “We will: -promote agricultural expansion further inland by introducing mega farms in the Intermediate and Rupununi savannahs; promote the expansion of non-traditional agricultural product such as coconuts, fruits and spices; and promote the increase of aromatic rice production which will add to the crop production in the rice sector at a higher end of the value chain.”