…PM says in coalition fifth anniversary reflections

REFLECTING on the 5th anniversary of the APNU+AFC Government, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said that since May 11, 2015, Guyana has been shining on all fronts.

He referred to what he described as “the prudent management of the economy” which grew last year by 5.3%; suppression of narco-criminal activities; improvement in salaries and living standards of working people and pensioners; expansion of internet connectivity and radio broadcasting; upgrades in delivery of education, health, housing, water, electricity; and better road, river and air transport facilities.

Writing in his My Turn weekly column, Mr. Nagamootoo said that May 11, 2015 will always be celebrated for several good reasons as a people’s victory. “It brought to Guyana a new wave of an open, plural and inclusive democracy” which, for the first time ever elected a coalition of six parties to form the government.

Over these five years there has been “a silent revolution” to restore integrity in public office, he noted while observing that the slogan, “Make America Great” in our context was “Make Guyana Clean Again!”

The Prime Minister said that the Coalition flattened the curve of “pervasive corruption” that it had inherited from the former PPP/C regime which had reduced Guyana almost to the status of a criminalized state

In his reflections on May 11, Prime Minister Nagamootoo said that Guyana has received consistent approval ratings in almost all aspects of public life, including improvements in respect for freedom of the press, combatting trafficking in persons, ensuring juvenile justice, fighting domestic violence and gender abuse, etc.

Freedom House, a US state-funded non-government organization, in its 2018 Freedom in the World Report, noted that Guyana continues to be listed as “free” and as an “electoral democracy”.