–President Ali emphasises; reflects on efforts to reverse several APNU+AFC policies that crippled Guyana’s productive sectors
–points to transformation in healthcare, education, social services aimed at bettering the quality of life
–more than 65,000 jobs created in just over three years

RECOGNISING that workers serve as the bedrock of Guyana’s development, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has vowed to continue striving to ensure that all lives are improved.

In a Labour Day message, streamed live on his Facebook Page, the President stressed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration is committed to uplifting the lives of the poor and vulnerable. May 1 is known in Guyana and other countries as Labour Day.

Since assuming office in 2020, the PPP/C government has gone above and beyond in its quest for betterment for all Guyanese, and this has resulted in the creation of more jobs and thriving sectors among other positive developments, according to the Head of State.

While many have attempted to view “a better quality of life” through a narrow lens, President Ali pointed out that the standard of healthcare, education, social services, among other things are key components in the definition of better welfare.

“A better quality of life cannot only be measured in wages; a better quality of life depends on the holistic development of one’s self, family and community. It depends on the quality of healthcare, the quality of education, the quality of social services, including water, the level of infrastructure and the holistic standard of living that one is able to achieve in a society and a community,” he said.

Dr. Ali related that those were the principles that formed the fundamentals of the PPP/C’s 2020 Manifesto, which has been almost completed in less than four years.
Guyana was no bed of roses under the previous coalition administration, and thus, the PPP/C, according to Dr Ali, inherited a “broken” economy which saw significant declines within major sectors.

The decline in output in the sugar industry was approximately $21 billion, the bauxite and forestry sectors reported losses in output equivalent to $31 billion and $9 billion, respectively, during 2015-2019, he said.

“When we came in, the Forestry Commission was virtually closed, employees were not paid for months, and there was no money in the bank account. The total loss in output for these three sectors amounted to $61.5 billion or eight per cent of GDP in 2019. That is what we inherited between sugar, bauxite and forest,” Dr. Ali lamented.

Further, he highlighted the decline in export revenue within these sectors. The losses were approximately more than US$283 million, and thousands of workers indirectly and directly were without employment.
However, since the PPP/C assumed office, these sectors have been revived, and Guyana is on a better track than it was, and families have been taken off of the breadline.

JOB CREATION
The bauxite sector, which suffered immensely under the previous APNU+AFC administration, has been turned around, and according to Dr Ali, the PPP/C government has restored more than 1,000 jobs within the sector, and this is expected to grow rapidly before the end of this year.

“So, because of the rapid decline in these key sectors, more than 50,000 persons were without a job during 2019, according to the Bureau of Statistics. Despite widespread unemployment and declining income, the previous government introduced over 200 taxes that saw tax revenue increase from $136 billion to $226 billion. Indeed, their method of economic growth was taxation, taxation, taxation, wasteful spending, and policies that crippled the productive sector,” Dr. Ali said.

As a result of this high tax burden, there was a decline in consumption, according to the President.
In the PPP/C’s first budget in 2020, the President boasted that they reversed the punitive taxes that the previous government had introduced, and by fulfilling this Manifesto promise, taxpayers saved tens of billions of dollars in taxes.

“Today, all the key sectors are not only reporting higher output levels, but have created countless jobs. If you look at investment in housing, jobs that the government would have created directly is in excess of 65,000 jobs,” the Head of State said.
Further, he reiterated that the government rehired the 2,000 Community Service Officers (CSOs) and thousands of sugar workers that were sacked by the previous administration, and also restored the Joint Services bonus.

Aside from the increase in wages and salaries, the government has introduced initiatives that benefit citizens, especially within the public sector.
Additionally, the government restored the ceiling on the mortgage interest relief for housing to $30 million. This initiative has cost the government more than $2.4 billion up to the end of 2023.

He went on to note: “Our interventions to improve the well-being of public servants were not limited to wages and salaries… further initiatives were implemented by the government, including scholarships for citizens including public servants under the GOAL scholarship programme. Close to 30,000 scholarships issued; 75 per cent of which went to women.”

“These are real stories and real investments that we make continuously to uplift the lives of the working class people of our country,” Dr. Ali said.
He added: “Apart from the across the board increase in salary… it is important to note the government also adjusted the salaries and allowances of various categories of public servants since it resumed office in 2020,” noting that measures were also introduced to improve the lives of teachers.

This includes the 4,500 teachers who are given education allowances, costing the government more than $500 million and the additional duty free concessions granted to them along with the adjustment in their salaries that amount to $1.9 billion.
“By the end of 2025, we will also have more than 5,500 new teachers, fully trained and they will benefit from additional allowances.

The task ahead of us is to continue on this trajectory, to ensure that our workers and every Guyanese enjoy a prosperous future, ensure they live in prosperity, ensure that their lives and their families’ lives are transformed…,” he said.

Also, with plans to further transform Guyana, the President said: “Let us rally together as we go past 2027 when our revenue stream will increase, when our economy will be diversified and when all of us together as a people will see further prosperity…”
He went on to say: “My government stays committed in its quest, through targeted interventions, to help the vulnerable, the poor, the oppressed, the working class, whilst at the same time stimulating the economy and building policies that will grow the private sector, expand job creation, open up new opportunity and enhance the welfare and wellbeing of all Guyanese.”