SUNDAY August 2, 2020 marked another historic day in the life of this young nation, when Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali was sworn-in as the ninth executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

Dr. Ali brings to the job as chief executive of this country years of experience as a minister of government in the PPP/C administration. His signature achievements would have come when he headed the Ministry of Housing and Water, transforming communities and making land ownership affordable to all Guyanese. Although his journey to being President of this country was not an easy one, one could not miss his often calm demeanour in going about his tasks. The Guyana Chronicle congratulates Dr. Ali and wishes him and his government a successful term in office.

Born into a Muslim family at Leonora, West Coast Demarara, Dr. Ali’s parents are both educators. He completed his secondary education at St. Stanislaus College in Georgetown, and holds a doctorate in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of the West Indies. He has served as Project Manager of the Caribbean Development Bank’s Project Implementation Unit in the Ministry of Finance, and Senior Planner in the State Planning Secretariat. He became a member of the National Assembly of Guyana in 2006, and was subsequently appointed to the portfolios of Minister of Housing and Water and Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce. In 2015, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) went into opposition, during which time he served as chair of the Public Accounts Committee, and co-chair of the Economic Services Committee of the Parliament of Guyana. He was selected as his party’s presidential candidate in 2019. In the campaign for the Presidency, Ali ran on a mainly economic platform, citing declining growth and increased joblessness under the David Granger Administration. He also committed to creating 50,000 new jobs over five years.

He emphasised the need for transparency, and adherence to globally-recognised standards of governance for Guyana’s nascent oil sector, which is expected to transform Guyana’s development. Ali has committed to establishing a Sovereign Wealth Fund protected against political interference, and to strengthen Guyana’s ability to uphold the Santiago Principles and the global requirements of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Meanwhile, given the length of time it took before a final declaration was made and the number of legal challenges, Sunday’s swearing-in ceremony must have been a bitter-sweet experience, both for President Ali and his party, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic. In his short address after taking the oath of office, Dr. Ali stressed the importance of uniting Guyana, and his plans to advance the country’s development. In making those remarks, President Ali would have been acutely aware also of the damage done to race relations here due to the contentious nature of the elections. At the end of the day, the elections are over, and as has been the call from many, the former administration, APNUAFC now has a chance to file an elections petition to challenge the declaration, which they do not find favour with. The conclusion of the elections also opens the door for this country to begin serious work to repair its image on the international scene, given the events of the elections and claims and counter-claims of electoral fraud. Guyana is a democratic nation, and this virtue must continue to be borne out as we go forward.

And even as we transition into a new government, the Guyana Chronicle reiterates its call for all parties to find the time to sit down and talk. There comes a time when the needs of the country must supersede the partisan impulses. That time is now. When the dust settles, it is the Guyanese people who will have to do the rebuilding of trust. It is plain for all to see that the country is on the edge. On both sides of the political divide, the popular masses have remained committed to their respective parties. That is their right. But in the process, they are also expressing their fears. We believe it is now the responsibility of the political leaders to assuage those fears. When in 1997 there was a similar post-election impasse, in the face of political instability the two parties quickly went to the table to negotiate a settlement of the issue. The outcome was the Herdmanston Accord, which ultimately led to an end to street protests. It also led to an audit of the elections and electoral reform. The aftermath of these elections is a golden opportunity to live up to our aspiration of One People, One Nation, One Destiny.