Dear Editor,
SINCE his election to office as President of Guyana following the fiasco of the March 2, 2020, general and regional elections which lasted for five months, Guyana’s Head of State Dr Irfaan Ali has carved out his own niche, both domestically and on the international stage.

His election to office which has coincided with Guyana’s emergence as an oil-producing nation has provided him with the rare but prodigious opportunity to become the most efficacious President in recent times.

As the country’s most youthful and vivacious President, Dr Ali more than any of his predecessors, is confident that the country is moving in the right direction.

In his quest to lead Guyana and its people to prosperity, he has visited almost every district, village and city to meet and greet the residents, as well as to solve their problems.

Known for his bravery and competency, Dr Ali has not shied away from going to any neighbourhood, either on the coast or in the hinterland, to heal the racial divide and promote unity among the people which is at the core of his “One Guyana Initiative.”

On the international scene, President Ali has enhanced Guyana’s image in the Caribbean and the world on issues such as food security, fair trade policies, development and the region’s economy.

His goal is to attract investment to Guyana and the Caribbean, which had been ignored for decades by the international business community.

For many, his influence as a spokesperson for the Caribbean has been made possible through the country’s potential huge oil-and-gas reserves.

In office for only two and a half years, President Ali has met with several heads of states including the United States President Joe Biden; former Prime Minister of Britain, Boris Johnson; recently defeated President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro; President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo and Suriname’s President Chan Santokhi, among many others.

He has also embraced almost all his CARICOM counterparts, including Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley; Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, and St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, among others.

Truth be told, President Ali has developed a good rapport with his counterparts in the Caribbean and fellow world leaders, which no doubt augurs well for the country.

What is already palpable in his short stint in office, however, is that President Ali is being guided through the governance process by his efficient Prime Minister and cabinet and by the trust placed in him by the people, who love and respect him.

And this should be no surprise to the general public because as we have seen, he has proved to be President for all the people.

That said, there has never been any real doubt about his presidency or his ability to lead the nation because of his ability and highly visible presence with the people, as well as his continued political influence abroad.

He is committed to building a prosperous Guyana, not only by talk, but by his action. As a result, the country’s private sector has supported him because of the seemingly huge investment opportunities that have emerged from the response which Guyana has attracted from the Caribbean and the international business community.

So far, President Ali has met with little or no major political, economic and social obstacles to deter him from his goal to promote Guyana’s interest and investment potential among CARICOM, Latin America, Europe, Asia and North America, that has derived from the country’s oil windfall.

Unlike his predecessors, he has become the primary regional leader for food security in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Indeed, Guyana’s status as a major oil-producing country has placed President Ali in good standing with the region and with world leaders.

Few can dispute that President Ali has positioned Guyana on a process of socio-economic transformation, which has boosted his support base in the country still plagued by ethnic and political divisions.

If his political and socio-economic influences hold, Guyana will emerge as the bread basket of the Caribbean and thus reduce or end the region’s food insecurity.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Asquith Rose