THE PPP/C administration has embraced a principle of governance for the people and by the people. This is manifested by the number of outreaches made by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and the entire PPP/C administration to all the 10 administrative regions of Guyana. It is consistent with an approach to governance by the PPP/C administration which essentially is people-driven and the involvement of the masses of people in the development processes.

On his swearing-in as the 10th Executive President of Guyana, President Ali declared that he would be the President of all Guyanese, regardless of voting preferences. Guyana is a politically plural society and it is only natural for people to vote in accordance with their individual voting preferences. At the end of the day, it is the party that garnered the majority of the votes that really matters as the winning party is constitutionally mandated to form the government; in this current instance, the PPP/C under the Presidency of Dr. Ali.

The fact that the APNU+AFC Coalition has been making all manner of wild and unsubstantiated statements regarding the fairness of the electoral process is not material insofar as the constitutionality and legality of the PPP/C administration is concerned. President Ali was duly elected and sworn in as the country’s Executive President and from all indications he has been true to his word to govern in the interests of all Guyanese regardless of their political affiliation.

In his inauguration speech, President Ali had made a solemn pledge to serve every Guyanese ‘with affection, without discrimination and with every attention to fairness and equity’.

President Ali and his entire Cabinet has been displaying a high level of political and administrative energy. Almost on a daily basis, the President and other Cabinet members are in the field, interacting with citizens and listening to their concerns. Indeed, it is fair to say that the PPP/C has been a good ‘listening’ administration and as far as the President is concerned, no individual is too small to get a listening ear from the President and his team of ministers and government officials. This is in sharp contrast to the previous APNU+AFC administration where the President, ministers and senior government functionaries were, in the main, inaccessible.

This is indeed commendable and an excellent way of connecting government with the people and the people to government. It is also important from an accountability perspective, as government is held accountable in a direct way to citizens for promises made or for some perceived shortcoming on the part of government officials at the local level in the execution of their duties.

In all of the outreaches, there was one common denominator: that of finding ways to enhance the material and cultural quality of life of the Guyanese people. In his recent visit to Region Six, President Ali said that the region is slated for massive transformation across all sectors. According to President Ali, the government is creating a macro-vision that will transform the region beyond recognition, create opportunities for new jobs, bring sustainable jobs and empower people to participate in a greater way in the economy of this region. The government, he said, has been working on a pathway to prosperity for every citizen in the country.

Among the several new projects announced by the President are the construction of a new national stadium, new state of the art modern hospitals, upgrading of the Canje/Rose Hall aerodrome to make it a municipal airport, upgrading of the Port Mourant Training Institute to facilitate training in the rapidly growing oil and gas sector. All of that, according to President Ali, to prepare the ground to supplement the possibility of oil refineries and other related projects.

The development train is reaching all the regions of Guyana, into the villages and in the process touching the lives of Guyanese in positive ways. In this regard, the PPP/C administration has been even-handed and fair to the people of Guyana.