Time to re-enter Guyana through investments
A section of the gathering during an engagement with Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat and Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn
A section of the gathering during an engagement with Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat and Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn

–Ministers Bharrat, Benn urge Guyanese in Canada; highlight efforts to improve security sector

By Frederick Halley
MINISTER of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat and Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn have lauded the developments and progress taking place in Guyana over the last two years.

Fresh off attending the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s (PDAC) annual three-day convention, held at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto, the two were guests at a meet and greet hosted by the Guyana Consulate in Toronto last Wednesday evening.

Among the persons in the audience were Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana Mark Berman and Guyana’s High Commissioner to Canada Keith George.

Echoing a call he made during his visit last June, Minister Bharrat once again urged Guyanese living in Canada to return and serve their country of birth, while boasting that the country is now primed for investment.

Unlike in June when the minister announced that a contract for a new power plant would have been signed, he boasted that the gas-to-energy project, which will change the lives of Guyanese, has commenced and, once completed, will significantly reduce the cost of power generation and its reliability.

According to Minister Bharrat: “Right now, we are generating at nearly the highest rate in the hemisphere, at 30 cents (US) per kilowatt when countries are generating at less than 10 cents (US), so it makes us a destination that is not attractive in terms of cheap power.”

He went on to say: “This is not a dream; this is a plan we have and this is a project that has already started. We have already awarded the contract to a US company that will build the power station at Wales and we have already awarded the contract to a company from India to overlook the project on our behalf.”

The project, Bharrat said, will reduce electricity cost in Guyana by as much as 50 per cent by early 2025.

“It will also ensure we have reliable electricity and it will have cleaner energy and cut emissions even further,” Minister Bharrat said.

He told the gathering that Guyana is at a point of “take off” and Guyanese should be proud of that.

Bharrat said: “We came from nothing to 2022 as the fastest growing economy in the world, when the entire world is battling from the effects of the war in Ukraine and the economic impact of COVID-19 in terms of shortage and shipping issues.”

Guyana, he said, recorded a 62.5 per cent growth rate with the hard work of the President and others in the Cabinet along with the technical officers and “every single Guyanese in and out of Guyana who participated in the process.”

“What we are particularly pleased about is that we had the second highest growth rate for non-oil producing countries, which was 11.5 per cent, so it’s not only about oil and gas but for non-oil economies,” Minister Bharat said.

He, however, cautioned: “What we have to do now, as a responsible government, and what our policies and programmes are geared toward, is ensuring that this growth rate is translated to working towards developments throughout the entire country.”

Minister Bharrat assured persons that the development is not only taking place in Georgetown or Region Four but throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.

“We have to ensure that we decentralise and spread economic activities throughout the entire country. You can go through every region and point to development and progress that would benefit our people throughout the entire country,” he related.

Minister Bharrat said: “We need all hands on deck to develop our country, hence the reason for meeting with you. The avenue to get back to Guyana is through investment and the time is right for that. Those of you who haven’t been in Guyana for a while will be astonished at the development that is taking place…”

Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn (right) with Toronto Chief of Police Myron Demkiw

ALLAYED FEARS
For his part, Home Affairs Minister Benn allayed fears about the crime situation in Guyana, pointing out that based on the statistics over the last two years, serious crimes have reduced by 20 per cent while road deaths have also decreased, but there are still issues of domestic violence and drinking and driving.

According to the minister: “Our young people are reckless in many instances and need to find better ways in using up their energies to work with our Police Force.”

He pointed out that the Force is in the process of launching “Increasing the Peace in Guyana,” which will involve, “changing the way with which we engage with the public. We have to change the mindset and the culture, and that is why we had engagement with the Chief of Police of Toronto, talking about cooperation, exchanges and looking at the new Police Academy.”

Minister Benn said there is also need for diversification, highlighting plans for the prisons to be moved from Georgetown and New Amsterdam to a central location at Lusignan. He also spoke about the construction of schools for prisoners where they will be taught in vocational areas such as agriculture and carpentry. Experts in psychology and psychiatry will also be employed.

The Guyana Fire, he pointed out, will be rebranded Fire and Rescue Service while new training techniques will be developed and several old fire hydrants will be replaced.

Among the topics discussed with the Chief of Police of Toronto were the importance of diversity, professionalism, exchange visits, and cooperation to enhance Guyana’s Police Academy.

Minister Benn also took the opportunity to visit the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s recently commissioned fire station. He was accompanied by Consul General (ag) Grace Joseph and active diaspora member Mahesh Ramdeo. They were greeted by Fire Chief Brent Thomas, and Deputy Fire Chief Steve Hall.

The facility opened in June 2022 and is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. The team was given an extensive and detailed tour of all aspects of an excellent Fire and Emergency Service and given insight into how the Bradford Fire and Emergency Services operates. Much like Guyana, Bradford is growing, and this fire station was built with that in mind.

During the tour, Mayor Leduc, Fire Chief Thomas, and Deputy Fire Chief Hall stated their willingness to assist Guyana’s Fire Service in improving its quality and service. The facility is equipped with in-house training and accommodations to facilitate such.

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