Dear Editor,
After 57 years of independence and 53 years as a Co-operative Republic of Guyana, many presidents from the two major parties have tried to heal the racial divide and unite the races, but unlike President Dr. Irfaan Ali, they met with very little success. And the reason being is that they did not have the vision like His Excellency, who since being sworn in as President in August 2020, had the foresight, wisdom, and courage to initiate his ‘One Guyana’ vision to unite the people and build a prosperous Guyana for all. The One Guyana initiative is the first of its kind to have ever been introduced in the country to unify the races.

From the inception, and given the oil resources, President Ali has embarked on some bold and gutsy economic policies to develop Guyana, improve the lives of the people, particularly the poor and the downtrodden and move the country from a Global South (Third World) and underdeveloped status to a Global North (First World) developed nation. These policies along with the One Guyana vision have resonated with the people in almost every district and village and have gained widespread support across the country including the hinterland regions.

Not only is President Ali’s One Guyana vision a brilliant idea that is good for the country, but the fact that he grew up in the multi-ethnic village of Leonora on the West Coast of Demerara, he therefore saw the need to heal the racial divide and unite the people. His sincerity and passion to unite Guyanese is evident in his call on all Guyanese to join as one people for the single purpose of building our beloved country. He is an inspirational and visionary leader; compassionate, sociable, and humble and as President, Dr. Ali has achieved a lot due to systematic preparation for the imponderables and vicissitudes of public life. While no one can predict the future, yet many believe that President Ali will become one of, if not the greatest president of Guyana in our time and his One Guyana vision will be part of his legacy which historians will most likely write about.

The truth is no one can dispute the fact that the country should and must be united because in unity lies the greatest strength of all, especially since our covetous and barefaced neighbour to the west continues to make the false, obnoxious, and atrocious claim of two-thirds of Guyana’s territory. However, the Ali government has recently won a preliminary round at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague on the border dispute. And while the ICJ decision is being viewed as a success for Guyana, it has been a major disappointment for President Maduro’s autocratic regime.

It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Brigadier Mark Phillips is fully aware of the benefits of unity because as the head of the unified Guyana Defense Force, he has become one of strongest advocates of President Ali’s administration policies especially his One Guyana initiative. He believes that unity is a key ingredient to the development of the country. Truth be told, Brigadier Phillips is a pacesetter with a good understanding of politics and of the people and the ability to build trusting and lasting relationships in the exercise of his duties.

Like President Ali, Brigadier Phillips’ oral communication and leadership skills are second to no one. And Guyanese are blessed to have both as leaders with the required competence, expertise, and qualities to discharge their duties Today, Guyana has two great leaders in President Ali and Prime Minister Phillips who are honest, trustworthy, brave, determined and energetic to advance the economic growth and development of our country and the well-being of the people. There is no doubt that they will leave our beloved Guyana in excellent shape economically, politically, socially, and culturally and as a unified nation for the next generation. We should be proud of them.

Sincerely,
Dr. Asquith Rose.