-President Ali affirms; says engagements will increase

PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali is unfazed by the criticisms for his direct meetings with the people of Guyana. He intends to maintain his regular engagements with citizens and elevate his efforts.

These remarks were made Saturday during a press conference where the President gave recognition to Guyana’s transformation from neglect and despair to positive growth.

“I have no intention of reducing my interaction with the people… Matter of fact, I’ll be stepping it up because I believe in the power of the people, I believe in their voices, I believe in their ideas and I believe I have a strong responsibility to the people of this country who are the electorate and custodian of everything we have here,” Dr. Ali said.

Despite being bombarded within the past few weeks by accusations of not being inclusive, the President maintained he had done his constitutional duty and will continue to be accessible to everyone.

“My government is one of the most accessible governments and if someone has no interest in meeting, that’s it. That’s their choice,” the President said while shutting down the accusations of being non-inclusive.

Furthermore, the President said that he has had multiple engagements with numerous Members of Parliament (MP) and if one is to ask anyone of those persons they can give light to how co-operative and understanding the President of Guyana is.

In response to the allegations that his government is excluding Opposition members from State boards, the President refuted these claims and even said that affiliates of the former A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) administration hold senior positions within the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government.

“We are fully committed to ensuring that all of Guyana is represented on these boards,” President Ali firmly remarked.

While giving his opening remarks, Dr. Ali maintained that his PPP/C government has pursued a path of inclusionary democracy and, more so, it has worked tirelessly to alter the preconceived opinions that many had of Guyana.

“As you know, since assuming office, we have pursued a path of inclusionary democracy, one in which we sought to redefine the narrative about Guyana, as, at that point, our credentials, our democratic credentials, our credentials in relation to the rule of law were completely lost, because of a group of persons who took it upon themselves, at the expense of all of Guyana, to rubbish democracy, the will of the people and the rule of law.”

The Head of State also said that, because of the number of developmental and positive initiatives that his government has rolled out, a complete 360 has occurred. He said this is clear by the viability of the economy.

He related: “We embarked on a task of reshaping and rebuilding the image of our country and in presenting Guyana as not only a democratic state that abides by the rule of law, but by action and policy formulation, we have presented Guyana as a viable, sustainable economy worthy of every investment.

Today, we’re seeing that the rebranding and positioning of Guyana and the policy framework that we have pursued bring tremendous results for us as a country, and as a people.”

The President then said because of the fight for democracy, today one can see every International Forum requesting the presence of Guyana.

He further remarked that the nation is playing a lead role in many institutions and when it comes to important issues, Guyana is at the table.