THERE is a tendency among some people, especially those in the political opposition, to focus on the smaller things in national life and they lose focus on the bigger issues of development. In their quest to score perceived political points, they sometimes spend an inordinate amount of time on the mundane and the ordinary.

The truth is that decades of underdevelopment under colonial rule has left in its wake a situation in which there still remain festering problems which would require significant sums of money and resources to make good. The problem was further exacerbated by nearly three decades of mismanagement under the PNC’s undemocratic and incompetent rule, which saw the country further retrogress to that of being one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. For most of our post-independence years, the economy experienced negative growth until democracy was finally restored to the country on October 5, 1992.

Those were what could be described as the ‘lost decades,’ which saw the country being placed in reverse gear, even as most of the countries in the region were, in varying degrees, surging ahead in the development curve. And all of this despite the fact that the country was blessed with an abundance of natural and mineral resources. We experienced what could be described as ‘poverty in the midst of plenty,’ for which the previous PNC regime cannot escape responsibility.

Thankfully, after 56 years of national independence, the economic tide has finally changed course and the country is now on the cusp of monumental changes. Guyana’s economy is now among the fastest growing in the world, thanks in part to our emerging oil-and-gas status, but also prudent economic and fiscal management on the part of the PPP/C administration.

Despite our changing economic fortunes, there still remains significant developmental challenges which cannot be solved overnight. Simply put, there is no silver bullet when it comes to our development; it requires hard and sustained work on the part of the PPP/C Government and this is exactly what is taking place in the country at this moment in time.

Given our relatively low population density, scattered terrain and uneven geographic spread, there will always be ‘irritants’ of one type or the other, be it a street that needs fixing, a clogged drain, or some ‘unresponsive’ bureaucrat; but these do not in any shape or form define the essential characteristics of the PPP/C administration and its commitment to the cause of a better Guyana.

Never before in our entire history had so much been achieved in so short a period, thanks to visionary and proactive leadership of President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and the entire Cabinet. These pro-people leadership interventions have impacted the lives of Guyanese all across the ethnic, political and geographical divide in positive ways.

For the PNC Leader Aubrey Norton to accuse the PPP/C administration of ‘selective’ development and ignoring areas of perceived PNC support is at best disingenuous and at worst an attempt to play up to an ‘ethnic’ gallery, when in fact the reality on the ground suggests otherwise. The PPP/C has always been even-handed in its approach to development and no amount of cheap propaganda on the part of Norton and the PNC can be adequate to convince the population otherwise.

The rapid pace of development currently underway in the country appeared to have caught Norton and the APNU+AFC off guard. Unable to find any fault with the government’s massive and transformational agenda, the PNC has resorted to what it knows best, and that is to play the ethnic card with the hope of connecting with the ethnic sensitivities of the Guyanese people.

These are different times and the Guyanese people are much more discerning of what is in their best national interests that Norton and the PNC are prepared to give them credit for. And while there will always be festering issues in communities all across the political and ethnic spectrum in Guyana, highlighting such issues in perceived PNC communities is far from making a convincing case of ‘discrimination’ on the part of President Ali and his PPP/C administration.

Instead of focusing on minutiae and peripheral issues, the political opposition needs to focus on the bigger issues of governance and national development. The PPP/C, for its part, is aggressively pursuing its national development agenda. The Opposition Leader has to come to terms with the fact that President Ali has a constitutional mandate to govern. The Leader of the Opposition is also a constitutional office holder and so far there is little indication that Norton is prepared or willing to execute his constitutional duties in a responsible manner.

Meanwhile, the big picture is unfolding in ways not hitherto thinkable. Guyana is moving forward at an accelerated pace and the One Guyana vision as articulated by President Ali is picking up momentum, despite the political posturings of Mr Norton and the APNU+AFC Coalition.