-urges opposition to direct energy towards developing Guyana

TO build a society that moves into a modern era, political trust must be created. However, that trust must be generated under ethical values and elements of integrity, and cannot be formed through unapologetic, overt attempts to subvert democracy.

This was the sentiments of President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, who on Thursday issued a video statement on social media to once again shoot down the political opposition’s continuous attempt to use propaganda centred on race and ethnicity as a weapon.

While reiterating the government’s willingness to work with the political opposition, he said they will refuse to do so in an antagonistic environment where goodwill is not reciprocated.

“Many people today talk about building trust and bridging the divide and helping to advance our country. But there are some truths that we cannot escape. If you look at how some people approach this whole issue of building trust and creating harmony in our country, it is worrying,” the President noted.

“To say that we want to create social harmony, we want a united society, and that good could have only come about through rigged elections and could have only come about through an attempt to steal elections, that is not the way you build modern society. That is not the way you build a democratic society. You have to earn trust. You cannot bully your way into gaining the trust of people.”

The President noted that political trust incorporates justice, adherence to the democratic norms, which cannot be alternated at whims and fancies, as he pointed to the behaviour of the main political opposition, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), now coalesced into the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

He noted that for trust between the government and the opposition to be created and nurtured, the APNU must first make right the grave wrong that it brought on the Guyanese people when it dragged out the 2020 elections for five antagonising months, and failed in its attempts to rig the country’s those elections.

Even in the face of all of that, it was pointed out that the opposition continues to attempt to establish itself as standing for democracy, unity and harmony.

President Ali accused the opposition of trying to demonstrate values that are not supported by their own behaviour and action, noting that healing requires an acceptance of guilt.

“You cannot turn on and off your democratic values as you wish and say that, oh, we are champions of democracy. And it’s like a switch you’re turning off and on. Democracy is what we live every day, what you breathe every day, what you project every day. You cannot be serious about freedom, human rights, justice, fairness and democracy when you try to nakedly steal the elections. No, it doesn’t happen that way,” the President said.

DEVELOPMENT PROGRESSING
Whether the opposition atones or not, the government has committed to placing its focus on developing Guyana with or without the APNU’s support.

This is evident through the government’s continued efforts to go directly into communities to get a first-hand understanding of people’s concerns and issues, and work with them to craft solutions.

“What keeps me up at night is the welfare of the people of this country. Not the rhetoric, not the propaganda, not the hate speeches, not the negativity which some people are bent on promoting and the disinterest in the development agenda for our country, in the transformation of our country,” Dr. Ali said.

“We are building a Guyana in which all of us would be proud and an economy in 2030 that will be far different. That will be relevant, competitive, one that will ensure the survival of all of us as a people and our country as a state. This is what keeps me up at night. This is where I put my energy.”

The government’s continuous show of willingness to work with people all across Guyana, in every community, in every region, more than anything has been defeating the opposition race rhetoric. Nonetheless, the President said the opposition continues to clutch at whatever straws it can.

However, with citizens of all races continuing to see past the opposition’s smoke screen, embracing the government’s policy of development and unity, the political opposition has taken it a step further by attacking citizens directly.

With many Afro-Guyanese embracing the government’s development agenda and defeating the opposition’s race rhetoric, Afro-Guyanese supporters of the government often receive the ire of the political opposition and its supporters.

The President denounced the ridicule often meted out to Afro-Guyanese supporters of the government.

“We’re not going to allow the intellectual authors of this divisive politics, race baiting politics to succeed. I am pledging to the people of this country that we are going to bypass the intellectual authors and come directly to the people. Ethnicity has no place as a political tool in a modern Guyana. Absolutely no place,” Dr. Ali said.

He further noted that political relevance must be based on your ability to shape ideas, deliver vision, create policies, and win the hearts and minds of people based on what you project for their well-being.

“Look at our investments in people, investments in communities, investments in the different regions, investment in social services [and] investment in agriculture, you will see there is no disparity. If you compare what we invest per capita in every sector, in every single region, you will see that even regions and communities that the opposition would claim to love and care about got more investment under this government. I challenge them to look at our per capita investment in every single region and show where there is discrimination. Show where there is bias,” he emphasised.

Moreover, the President pointed out that the opposition is still yet to produce any facts to support that any community in Guyana has been discriminated against or left behind.

“Where is the discrimination? Not under this government. It will never occur. The truth presents the reality. The facts are grounded in the truth, not the falsehood,” the President said.