The year 2023 is now behind us. Guyanese are looking forward to a brighter and better Guyana. This is not an unreasonable or unrealistic expectation.
The foundation for robust and sustainable development has been firmly laid by the programmes and policies of the PPP/C administration in the past years. The country is now on a take-off trajectory, one will impact positively on the quality of life of all Guyanese.

The tone for this new and emerging dispensation was set by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali during his New Year’s message in which he assured all Guyanese that the focus of his administration in 2024 will be to ensure a better quality of life of all Guyanese.

According to President Ali, ‘the fruits of our collective efforts are beginning to ripen.’ The future of Guyana is bright and promising.

Without getting into details of the 2024 Budget Estimates, he alluded to some measures that will be rolled out in the new year such as salary increases for public servants, free university education, increased spending on the security sector and our defence capability, improvements in the delivery of social services, infrastructural development among others. These are all consistent with the pro-people orientation of the PPP/C administration.

And in a display of characteristic statesmanship and political maturity, President Ali took the opportunity to extend thanks to all Guyanese including the political opposition for standing in solidarity with the government on the issue of the Venezuelan threat to our national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He thanked all Guyanese ‘for the mass outpouring of patriotic fervor in response to threats to our territory, reinforcing our collective determination to protect the sovereignty of our beloved Guyana.’

This patriotic and inclusive stance taken by President Ali regrettably is in stark contrast to the New Year message delivered by Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton who could see nothing other than ‘gloom and doom’ in the coming period ahead.

And this despite the enormous progress made by the PPP/C administration in all facets of national life including significant salary increases for public servants, increases in old-age pensions, cash grants to parents of school children and a menu of other measures aimed at improving the living standard of the Guyanese people.

As noted by President Ali, the past year was not without its challenges, but there were also significant success and triumphs. The economy, he said, remains on a rock-solid footing, registering in 2023 phenomenal economic growth estimated at almost 40 per cent.

A growing economy along with a people-centred approach to development are the two main ingredients for human development. Growth and development are not ends in themselves but the means of a much greater end, namely to enhance the material and spiritual well-being of people.

President Ali has repeatedly said that our phenomenal economic growth fuelled in part by our carbon resources will be distributed in a manner to enhance economic and social justice.

No less significant has been the fact that the country has gained global recognition and respect by the international community as a result of its leadership role in key and critical areas such as climate change and food and energy security.

We have as a society much to be thankful for in 2023. The future for Guyana indeed looks bright and promising. Our better days are certainly ahead of us as we move forward confidently to a brighter future.