A CONCERNED President Irfaan Ali this morning took to Facebook to not only condemn worrying statements made regarding the distribution of revenue earned through carbon credits to Guyana’s indigenous people, but also to reaffirm his government’s commitment to the development of the country’s first people who are credited as pioneers in sustainable development.

“In every country, there are the doers and the talkers… there are the builders and the destroyers. But if we allow the falsehood to ever take root in any society then we will build a country and a society that is not built on the truth,” President Ali said in his impromptu Sunday morning public statement.

The issue at hand was the comments of the APNU and AFC criticizing the 15 per cent to be distributed to Amerindian communities for their development from the purchase of Guyana’s carbon credits by the HESS Corporation purchase.

Dr Ali said he finds the position of the opposition parties hypocritical, but marked it down as the “opportunistic” nature of persons within those groups.

The Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) that earned revenue for the country under the Norway Agreement was tossed aside by the APNU+AFC when it came to government in 2015, Dr Ali lamented. “This credit that we sold incurred Legacy Credit… that is credit that was available for the period of time they tossed aside the LCDS,” he continued.

The President questioned where was the commitment of the opposition parties when they tossed aside a strategy that was not only embraced by the world, but which placed Guyana on an international path that brought both recognition and respect to Guyana in its sustainable development pursuit.

Taking a trip to the not-so-distant past, President Ali recounted that it was the APNU/AFC which terminated more than 2,000 jobs held by Amerindian community service officers, effectively taking away almost GY$4 billion from Amerindian people.

“It is this [People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)] government which restored that $4 billion back to Amerindian people and Amerindian communities,” Dr Ali noted, questioning also why persons from the coalition did not find concern in the action of their parties.

The Head of State went on to highlight that the education grant, a benefit to Amerindian children, was restored by his government after it was removed by the APNU+AFC while it was in office.

He further recounted that the Amerindian Land Titling project was left dormant under the APNU/AFC as no new titles were processed under the David Granger-led administration.

A perplexed Dr Ali emphasized that outside of the 15 per cent revenue from carbon credits to Amerindian communities, hinterland and riverine communities generally benefit from budgetary allocations made across agencies on an annual basis.

Only two days ago, a brand new $1.7 billion secondary school was launched in Karasabai in Region 9, President Ali pointed out. With investments like these, the President said his government is aggressively pursuing livelihood opportunities for hinterland communities, and building out new infrastructure to ensure quality social services.

“Let us not be sidetracked by the selfish desires of a bunch that cared nothing about hinterland and riverine development. We are committed to the development of all of Guyana,” President Ali maintained. “I am committed to working with every single community.”

Dr Ali called for a reflection on, and an understanding of the realities of the global system. He noted that as it relates to rising food prices, low supplies, and changing climatic conditions, government is working aggressively to not only improve Guyana’s food production and supply but also balance the market so that the inflationary global pressure is felt as little as possible in Guyana.

“We are the doers… we will continue to build. Together, we will build a Guyana that is strong and secure and prosperous in which every Guyanese will be proud to be a part of, and will be part of the transformation,” the President concluded.