THOSE who are alive today and who would have lived through the People’s National Congress’s (PNC) rule prior to 1992, can attest to the transformation of Guyana through the modernisation that occurred under the 23-year administration of the People’s Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/C).

Space will not allow listing the various projects and their positive impact on the lives of Guyanese. However, a cursory look will reveal projects such as the Berbice River Bridge; new ferries; the National Stadium; the Arthur Chung Convention Centre; the University of Guyana Tain Campus; a plethora of hospitals, schools, road networks and untold interventions to improve the welfare of all Guyanese.

Along with that, the growth of the private sector and the establishment of numerous facilities including banks across the country, have led to increased convenience to conduct transactions. Importantly, the housing drive and construction boom under the PPP/C government is unprecedented and exemplary. It was not just the provision of a piece of land, but the creation of enabling environments, including those through financial institutions, to allow ordinary citizens to own homes.

In doing so, the empowerment and independence that come with home ownership is unimaginable. In turn, through the acquisition of collateral, opportunities were opened up for further advancement of individuals and families. That in itself changed lives in impacting ways for a large number of Guyanese, who, otherwise, may not have been able to own their homes. For many, if not all of those persons, it would have been dreams realised.

In examining the 23-year period of the PPP/C government, between 1992-2015, the priority would have been the advancement of the lives of Guyanese whether through social or infrastructural interventions. With regard to the latter, none can dispute that the landscape has been transformed to the point of being unrecognisable by many, especially those who are overseas-based.

That unprecedented transformation saw many years of sustained economic growth and Guyana now being classified as a developing country from being a highly indebted poor one in 1992.

During that 23-year period, Guyana was lauded as the shining light of the Caribbean. Those achievements were not coincidental, but precipitated from prudent and visionary leadership, driven by commitment to improve the lives of all Guyanese.

By creating the environment to allow ordinary Guyanese to not only own homes, but also vehicles, machinery and other necessary equipment for growth and development, the PPP/C government has ensured a pathway out of poverty for many. In doing so, thousands of lives have been changed for the better. Sadly, this trajectory changed and progress regressed during the APNU+AFC rule from 2015-2020.

In some way, it seems as if history repeated itself in the context of what transpired in 1992 and then in 2020; rebuilding was vital on both occasions following economic ruin and mismanagement by the APNU+AFC and its previous manifestations. Currently, and just within a year, the PPP/C government continues to rapidly move the country along a trajectory of prosperity, bringing the nation on the cusp of further transformative development that would eventually see inherent potential being realised.

With that on the verge of being unlocked, the dreams of many other Guyanese are also coming to reality. Over the last few months, a number of persons were the recipient of house lots. The number allotted within the year is staggering when compared to the entire five-year tenure of the APNU+AFC government. Importantly, the distribution is not confined to one particular area, but includes a spread of communities of all ethnicities.

As these persons now move forward to construct their own homes, on another front, thousands of Guyanese are receiving online scholarships with the direct intent of building human capacity for both personal advancement and to meet the growing demands of the country in this transformative phase.

This is vital to our development as a nation, and the ability to change lives for the better has been proven to be an identifiable trait of the PPP/C government– a stark contrast to the APNU+AFC.