PRESIDENT, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has committed himself and that of his administration to the creation of a more equitable and just society. This is consistent with the political and philosophical outlook of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) which, since its formation, has pledged to create a society in which the wealth of the country would be distributed in a fair and equitable manner.
That philosophical outlook has informed all the policies and programmes of the PPP ever since it won political power in 1953. However, that victory was short-lived mainly because of the working class orientation of the PPP, which at the time, did not go down well with the western powers. The Constitution was suspended by the British Government after a mere six months of the PPP being in office.
Those were the days of intense political rivalry between the United States and the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Both of the two world powers were battling for ‘spheres of influence’ and the PPP, with its leftist polices, was seen as a threat to strategic interests of the United States in the region. The PPP, like several other countries that embraced leftist policies, were forcibly removed from office by western vested interests. Guyana became one of the early victims of the Cold War which was raging at the time.
The PPP, despite some initial setbacks, never departed from its working class orientation. When it was returned to office in 1957, it began a major overhaul of existing colonial policies to reflect a more balanced growth and development trajectory with emphasis on agricultural diversification, job creation, housing, supply of potable water, education, health and a host of other policy interventions to enhance the working and living conditions of the Guyanese people. Those were the days when development financing was hard to access, mainly out of ideological considerations, but the PPP still managed to lift the quality of life of the Guyanese people, especially the working people.
The international environment has changed markedly since the days of the Cold War and Guyana is once again moving along the path of sustainable development and economic and social progress. The country is still to fully recover from the aftermath of 28 years of PNC authoritarian rule characterised by economic and social decline and a rupture of the democratic fabric of the society. Thanks to committed and visionary leadership by the PPP/C after it was returned to power on October 5, 1992, the country has changed course and Guyana is now regarded as an important member of the international community. Its low-carbon development model has gained the attention and respect of the international community and the country is now ranked among the best in the hemisphere in terms of forest conservation and as a net carbon sink.
In his keynote address to the Harvard Business School on the macroeconomics of competitiveness, President Ali outlined a menu of measures to reduce economic disparities in the country and to create a new development paradigm in which all Guyanese would benefit from the impending prosperity, fuelled by the emerging oil and gas sectors. According to the President “an essential and indispensable element of my government’s agenda is the building of a more equitable society. One in which every Guyanese person irrespective of the region in which they live, irrespective of their ethnic or religious background, would have an equal opportunity and stake in the development of our country.”
These are indeed lofty ideals that connect with the whole of Guyana. Already there are positive and encouraging measures taken by the government to give effect to those commitments especially in the sphere of human development. This is manifested in the government’s robust housing policy; its delivery of quality education at all levels of the education system; better and enhanced delivery of healthcare, especially at the primary level, job creation and measures to protect the poor and vulnerable by way of strengthening our safety nets. As noted by President Ali, only recently Guyana was recognised by the World Bank as having one of the broadest cash support systems for vulnerable and at risk people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guyana is in safe hands under the leadership of President Ali and his PPP/C administration which, over the decades, have a proven track record of pursuing pro-poor policies while at the same time creating a framework for wealth creation. In the final analysis, it is the extent to which we can grow the economy and create wealth that will be a critical variable in the overall improvement in the quality of life of the Guyanese people. The foundation of accelerated and sustained growth is now in the process of being firmly laid and the country is now on the point of economic take-off to higher levels of prosperity for all.
