WHENEVER a political party wins a democratic election, there is usually a rush to deliver on its promises, both tangible and non-tangible, made to its supporters and the country. The party in power seizes every opportunity to focus its energies on accomplishing these promises. It must also give policy direction and advice to the ministries under its control.
Also, the political parties know just how important it is to stick to the plan or line of action when it gets to the corridors of power and influence, which is fragile. They try not to disappoint those who elected them firstly and the country as a whole when it comes to honouring the commitment to deliver on these promises accompanied by good levels of governance, accountability, and transparency.
If they deliver in record time, it is safe to say the party’s base of supporters and membership will grow while support for them grows. This support also goes a long way to get the Irfaan Ali Administration back in office whenever it reaches its five-year time span.

Arguably, the previous APNU+AFC Coalition did not seem to grasp this logic and reasoning when it became the Administration back in 2015. It forgot half of the promises made in its elections manifesto once it won the polls. The promises made were grand and fanciful and included the Return of the Linden Television Station to Region 10, a code of conduct for ministers, parliamentarians, and high-ranking officials, and the liberalisation of the telecommunications and ICT sectors.
They did not keep any of those promises. Others were attempted but failed because they were not logical or practical. The few that were honoured, mostly taxes and investigative commissions, were burdensome and a waste of time because of the political foolery that was taking place. By August 2020, they left office having attempted at governing this country but only left it arguably worse off than they found it.
Therefore, this rush to deliver on promises by the Irfaan Ali Administration is good and the right thing to do. This rush is ongoing while battling the worse pandemic in the form of the COVID-19 virus. Also, they have their work cut out when it comes to natural and human disasters in the form of flooding and damage to farms and the livelihoods of hundreds.
But still, the new government is pressing on and combatting the challenges. It is honoring its promises to the people. Against this backdrop, in one year, the Cabinet demonstrated it is quicker to take the policy changes when dealing with the detection and spread of COVID-19 in society.

Firstly, it implemented policies that aim at protecting and safeguarding our society through the COVID curfew and guidelines for social distancing. And there are signs that the Executive’s effort is gaining traction. So far, 240 392 persons have gotten their first dose of vaccine while 123 050 have their second shots. Additionally, with the Second doses of the Sputnik V Vaccine finally here in the country and being rolled out, more Guyanese will be protected against the virus, which has so far claimed 499 lives. Once there is a sustained level of testing and prevention, Guyana cases of deaths should not increase.
The Executive is also bringing immediate relief to thousands of residents affected by the floods in addition to helping them rebuild their lives.

The government has already delivered on several of its promises to cut back the burdensome taxes. It has given $25,000 to citizens in the form of a cash grant. And the government started the “Because We Care” Initiative and will be doling out $19,000 per child to meet transportation and other school expenses.
A robust housing initiative has also started and thousands of house lots and titles have been given to citizens. These, in addition to the free government scholarship programme which recently commenced, are indications that the government is delivering on its promises.