Dear Editor,

THE APNU+AFC has a record that they are not only proud of, but they are prepared to stand by, like Valentine’s Day lovers. On the contrary, PPP has a 23-year record that they have a mortal fear of, which is evident by it being locked away in quarantine during this election campaign, as if it has a severe case of the Coronavirus infection. The fact is that the developments in Guyana over the past five years are so extensive and numerous, that any attempt to enumerate and briefly describe them would have taken at least six months. As a result when I ventured into sharing with you, the reader, the APNU+AFC record over the past five years, I had to limit myself to projects completed in the year 2019. As I outlined these completed projects, it would have been remiss of me if I hadn’t had one eye on the imminent March elections. As a result, over the past five weeks, I provided a voluminous crash course, for want of a better description, of these completed projects but today will provide a more digestible summary.

As I placed these projects under the proverbial microscope, the image that stood out under the objective minimally magnifying lenses was the cross sectional distribution, with each of the 10 regions receiving equitable share of the pie.
Quite reassuringly and uncharacteristic of Guyana’s 23-years’ nightmare, regions were not divided by political colours; namely red regions, green region or yellow regions. All regions were rightfully seen as part of the five-coloured Golden Arrowhead hence, meritorious of government support. To exemplify this government’s colour blind approach, I will share with you a neoteric experience. A few weeks ago, (precise date evades my waning memory), I saw a video on social media which was centred on a newly-resurfaced road in Uitvlugt. For 23 years the PPP government, busied with infrastructure development in their exclusive Pradoville localities, overlooked this stretch of road and many other roads in Guyana. In 2015, the APNU-AFC government came into power, power being a misnomer since one can’t have power yet serve and immediately went about assiduously repairing the damaged infrastructure left by the PPP. On its completion, an over enthusiastic resident with no affiliation to the government, decided to conduct a smartphone recorded feedback on the newly-resurfaced road. One of the residents, relishing the newly-found freedom of speech which was painfully absent under PPP, said she felt good that this government used ‘Bharrat Jagdeo’s money’ to repair the roads. I clearly do not agree with the resident’s position but she is entitled to her opinion and political affiliation. Many, under the elected dictatorship of PPP government, were denied that basic right and I am pleased to see that this government has restored the confidence in the masses where they feel free to express themselves. If I may, I can say this with much confidence that this resident of Uitvlugt can rest assured that when APNU+AFC wins the upcoming elections, they will continue to develop her community with ‘Bharrat Jagdeo’s money’.

As I epitomise these projects, what was remarkable is the diversity in both sectors and regions. In the areas of education and health there were in excess of 33 projects at a cost of over $2.5B. Projects completed included the purchase of water ambulances for the transfer of medical emergencies and the purchase of boats that can transport Hinterland children to school. These may appear inconsequential but they are invaluable to those communities in many regards, being the difference between life and death or the difference between school dropout and university graduate. Another of the projects completed in the sector of health is the building of a 24/7 laboratory at the Mahaicony Hospital. Again it is easy to dismiss this as trivial but when one considers that before this laboratory was constructed, residents of Region Five had to travel to Georgetown to have these investigatory test done. Think of the money they would have spent on transport, the time away from work and the inconvenience of having to leave their kids with relatives. Spare a thought for Mrs. Persaud, the pensioner who struggles to walk and has poor vision. How would she have gotten to Georgetown? Having the laboratory closer to home is not only humane, but is also does what is best for the patient. This is medicine of the 21st century. This is known as patient-centred care where the patient is rightfully placed at the centre or focal point of the health service.

PPP was more concerned with their oligarchs, rich business associates, friends, families and of course themselves that they neglected both infrastructure and housing hence leaving this government a mammoth task. As a result, over 30 projects were completed in 2019, with much more to do, at a cost of over $3.55B. This covered a distribution of over 10,000 house lots where many applicants waited for years under the PPP administration. The sad reality is that while average Jane and Joe waited all these years, PPP was busy distributing lands to themselves and associates hence, it took a caring government to right this wrong. Infrastructure works were also part of the completed projects. These included the building of bridges, the building of an airstrip in the interior, the building of pumps and sluices. One of the residents, Junior Springer, of Region Nine had this to say after the completion of the $473M Barack Retreat Corridor.

“It is a big relief for the residents of Lethem, especially shop owners that have their businesses alongside the road. Before, when you visit the shop, everything in the shop was red, and now it is a total difference; the whole atmosphere has changed. You are not seeing the redness, the shops are clean.”

I am quite sure the government would have thanked Mr. Springer for his kind words. As the author of this letter, what Mr. Springer has said brought tears to my eyes and I must say how happy I am to see the massive difference this road made to your community. Utility and Natural Resources also had their slice of the pie. They had at least twelve completed projects for the year of 2019 at a cost of over $5B. Some of these projects were life changing for many. 141 persons received mining blocks and 22,173 received logging concessions for Ituni. One resident, Cornell St. Romain of Port Kaituma, who was one of the recipients of the mining blocks had this to say,

“It’s great for the community…A lot of people doing mining and don’t have their own mining lands, so it is good that the government and the Guyana Geology and Mines came up with this idea.”

Well said Mr. Romain. I am glad to hear this government has transformed you and many others’ lives from being employees to being employers. Another resident, Deonarine Bhukhan, a 79-year-old pensioner of Hubu, a village of East Bank Essequibo, had this to say about the water station completed by this government. “We nah ah get watta steady, now Abe ah get watta steady.”

Mr. Bhukhan you deserve it. For decades you served your country and now it is only fair that your country now serves you. Projects were also completed in the legal and communication sectors which covered a total of over 10 completed projects at a cost of over $500M. These include a sexual offence court in Suddie which means that residents no longer need to travel to Georgetown. A La Parfaite Harmonie Police station to augment security; a magistrate’s court in Bartica for easier access to justice for the residents, and a New Mahdia Magistrate’s Court, –bringing justice and security to the people. From a communication perspective, Orealla is now online for the first time after six Internet hotspots were commissioned across the community. The residents of North Rupununi are also enjoying first-time Internet access for free. These are massive developments where the government is clearly working towards the UN declaration of Internet access for you. For those who may not be aware, the United Nations recently declared that the access to Internet is a human right. In essence this places an obligation on governments to ensure that all its citizens have access to the Internet. I am not aware of a timeline being set for this. I am confident that the UN recognises that this will take time and will not occur overnight. It was only this week that I saw an ill-informed toddler level politician, a candidate of TCI, who clearly wanted to undermine what the government is doing by stating that the UN declaration states everyone should have free Internet. It is shocking that this was an interview she would have prepared for, yet she got this, among other issues, spectacularly wrong. The only conclusion I can arrive at is that apart from the APNU-AFC, the standards are ankle-level low for the other parties.
Now back to completed projects in 2019. Linden, after being fed a bland diet of one PPP channel for 23 years, now have their own Linden Broadcasting Network, and with that comes the freedom of choice in choosing television channels.

The social sector had in excess of 15 completed projects for the year 2019 at a total cost of $500M. This includes the building of a women’s shelter in Linden and two community centres at Blueberry Hill and Amelia’s ward. This also includes the refurbishing of the Kwakwani Workers Club. In conclusion, it is without doubt that under this government, the citizens as a whole have seen more infrastructure development in less than five years than they have seen under a PPP government for 23 years. The reason development was limited under PPP was multifactorial with lack of vision and corruption being top of the list. Our President has articulated a vision of “a decade of development” after the elections. This transformation of Guyana can only come to fruition if the APNU+AFC is rightfully elected. The PPP has shown, and painfully I must say, what they are capable of doing during their 23 years of misrule. Unless they acknowledge their mistakes, which are many, and prepare to reform the party starting from the leadership, then they should not be given another chance to destroy our country. Guyana should never become the laughing stock of the world with a President with 19 criminal charges, facing credible allegations of academic fraud and persona non grata in Canada. We have too many potentially-gifted leaders to be scraping the bottom of the leadership pot for “bun bun.” Elect a man who stand head and shoulders above all. Who is beyond reproach. Who is relatable to the people. Who has started Guyana on a positive trajectory of growth. The ‘creme de la crème’. H.E. President Granger.

Regards,

Dr. Mark Devonish