GOVERNANCE of a country is a challenging and demanding task, especially when it comes to dealing with people with different and competing interests; but most of these challenges could be solved by maintaining connection with the people, and importantly, delivering on promises made.

The importance of the latter two points cannot be underestimated as the consequences in recent years have been laid bare for all to see. Many would recall the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coming to power in 2015 after selling a long list of promises to the populace and winning the hearts of many non-traditional supporters, who at the time believed that a change in government was needed.

Even though their election to office was deemed questionable in some quarters, the fact at the end of the day was that they managed to wrestle political power from the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C). But having gained power they failed miserably in their efforts to legitimately maintain it and this may largely be due to the nature of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), which was the dominant force in the coalition. The PNC is notorious for rigging elections and through this means held on to power for 28 years. So where did the Coalition fail after passing step one, that is, winning political power? The answer is simple. The leaders of the Coalition on gaining political power began to rule the country from the proverbial ivory tower.

And by virtue of this, the connection with its base prior to the elections waned significantly as their years went by in office. This was made worse when supporters, both traditional and non-traditional, began to see the promises made by the Coalition as giving ‘false hopes’[sic] and ‘selling dreams’ to win votes with the sole objective of occupying the seat of power and to enjoy the concomitant benefits of such offices.

Of course, they were other internal reasons for the Coalition’s failures, such as a breakdown in communication among parties and unilateral decisions by the dominant player in the Coalition, but neglect of their base and their failure to deliver on promises made to the people were the primary reasons they lost power.

There is a view that the PPP/C experienced a noticeable decline in the years leading up to 2015 elections, because many party leaders did not enjoy the connection the party once had with its base, and the AFC exploited this gap to its full advantage. As one of the oldest political parties in Guyana, the PPP/C no doubt has learnt its lessons from past experiences and on its return to office less than two years ago, has demonstrated that it is on a mission to correct its missteps, while at the same time building a Guyana that is modern, inclusive and prosperous for all.

Its strategy is a simple one. From the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and ministers, right down to senior government officials are required to meet with the people, listen and provide solutions to their concerns.

This approach has seen government outreaches being held throughout Guyana and regular interfacing between government ministers and members of the public on a daily basis, dealing with issues from fixing of roads, alleviating floods and making education more accessible, to bringing people together for the greater good of Guyana.

Based on the outcomes, these engagements are genuine and designed to minimise if not solve issues affecting residents. There are many examples here, but space will not permit the listing of all of them in this editorial.

However, three of the most recent examples are the provision of free fertilisers to farmers after they complained of high prices and the negative effect it is having on production; the reduction of excise tax on diesel and gasoline to zero to ease the burden of transportation costs on commuters, due to the global increase in fuel prices and the subsidising of the costs for water and electricity to prevent the increase in prices of these two vital services being passed down to consumers.

Due to the engaging approach to governance and genuine commitment to improve the lives of Guyanese, the Irfaan Ali-led government in less than two years has so far been able to deliver on about 80 per cent of its 2020 manifesto promises.

VAT on water and electricity, agricultural inputs and food items, along with scores of burdensome taxes have been removed; the education cash grant has been restored with an increase from $10,000 to $30,000 with a promise to further increase this amount to $50, 000 by 2025; old age pension has been increased by 40 per cent; the unemployment rate is less than it was two years ago; more than 11,000 house lots have been distributed and hundreds of homes are being built that will be handed over to residents. Only recently, the government has taken things a step further, announcing that it will build homes for private land owners who do not have the capital to build, under a scheme in which it will recover its investment.

These interventions are reflective of a government in action, a government that is connected with the people and a government that is committed to delivering on its promises to the people.