–Prime Minister emphasises, reflects on PPP/C govt’s aggressive agenda to enhance the lives of all Guyanese

By Feona Morrison
AS the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government marks four years since returning to office, Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Minister Mark Phillips offered a reflective and forward-looking review of its stewardship, highlighting its achievements, challenges, and future ambitions.
Speaking during a special interview to commemorate the August 2, 2024 anniversary, PM Phillips emphasised the President Dr. Irfaan Ali-led administration’s unwavering commitment to delivering on its Manifesto promises, and improving the lives of every Guyanese.

Reminding his audience that four years ago the government embarked on a journey to rebuild and reignite growth in Guyana, he stated, “We launched Guyana on a path to development; on a path to prosperity for all the people of Guyana. One year after, in 2021, we had the floods. We were able to put all the measures in place to bring relief to the people throughout the length and breadth of Guyana. Those are some of the challenges that we had to deal with on the road to prosperity.”

He also highlighted the significant strides made in social development, with a focus on education, recreational facilities, ICT connectivity, roadways, healthcare, and housing. According to him, the government ensured its plans were tailored to bring relief and development to communities.
He said, “In dealing with many of those issues, we got the community leaders and workers from the community involved. For example, many of the roads in the communities were done by small contractors, who were identified and trained to do the work. Many of the drains are being cleaned by what we call community improvement and enhancement groups.”

He said several government ministers led teams into villages to address problems with welfare, land titles, and other matters.
“We will bring development to all of the people of Guyana,” he said, adding: “We don’t care whether you voted for the Opposition, or you voted for us, we are on a developmental trajectory, and we are ensuring that all communities are touched by our developmental plans.”

Prime Minister Phillips stated unequivocally that all ethnic groups will gain from government initiatives, citing the millions of dollars given to Afro-Guyanese organisations for Emancipation.
In addition to Emancipation Day being a significant occasion for Afro-Guyanese, he noted that supporting these organisations promotes diversity by helping all Guyanese comprehend the period of slavery that ended in Emancipation. Three days after returning to government, he noted, the PPP/C administration swiftly liberalised Guyana’s telecommunications sector.
The government explained that this ended the monopoly and paved the way for greater competition, improved services and lower costs for consumers.

ENERGY SECTOR
With millions invested to reduce blackouts, Guyana’s energy sector has seen significant advances, he noted. But as the country develops rapidly, the prime minister acknowledged that more needs to be done to provide a steady and reliable power supply that can keep up with rising demand and support the nation’s ongoing modernisation and economic expansion.
He said this is where the gas-to-energy (GtE) project, which is set to begin operations next year, will be crucial. “Whatever you are paying for electricity now, upon the completion of the gas-to-energy project, you will pay 50 per cent of that,” he posited.

Notably, PM Phillips stated that in order to prevent customers from paying more, the government has set aside funds to offset the impact of rising fuel, and electricity costs.
He discussed the Guyana Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2023 and stated that the government is dedicated to lowering the nation’s carbon footprint through the use of reusable energy such as solar power. “We recognise that if we embrace solar technology, we can bring electrical energy to the people in remote areas. Every community in the hinterland will have electricity. That [solar power] has transformed the way in which people live…”

ICT
Furthermore, Prime Minister Phillips disclosed that more ICT hubs are being built in over 200 hinterland communities. He said that people now have better internet connections and that students are using it for online education, referring to the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), which has given thousands of Guyanese people scholarships.
He pointed out that health professionals are making use of the increased bandwidth for the government’s telemedicine programme. By the end of this year, Starlink devices will connect all hinterland areas to the internet. Some 30,000 solar systems have been distributed to households in these areas, PM Phillips revealed.

Claims that the government’s ‘One Guyana’ slogan attempts to alter the nation’s motto of “One People, One Nation, One Destiny” were refuted by the government official.
“The President came up with this ‘One Guyana’ concept because he wants to ensure that all of Guyana benefit from all the programmes, policies, projects that are designed by this government. It is an effort to promote inclusive governance, to promote shared prosperity. It’s not an effort to divide Guyana. We [PPP/C] adhere to the motto. We have not changed the motto.”

LOCAL CONTENT
He also spoke about the Local Content Act which ensures the prioritisation of Guyanese nationals and Guyanese companies in the procurement of goods and services for the enhancement of the value chain of the petroleum sector and to enable local capacity development
Moreover, he pointed out that the PPP/C took power when Guyana had no petroleum money, but they continued to give thousands of schoolchildren cash grants under the ‘Because We Care’ programme.
“And we continued raising it; it’s currently at $45,000.” He said the monies are being paid out to over 200,000 children in the public and private school systems.

He said that the previous APNU+AFC government, which insisted it had no budgetary room for it but managed to find money for other purposes, had ended the cash grant.
He went on to further highlight the government’s transformative plans, stating that 12 modern hospitals are being built, that 200 taxes and fees imposed by the APNU+AFC government have been removed, that presidential grants have been given to American communities, and that $4.7 billion from carbon sales is being used to fund 800 projects in American communities.

He listed several more accomplishments of the PPP/C government, including the creation of almost 60,000 jobs, the provision of public assistance, the reinstatement of the Joint Services one-month bonus, pay hikes for public employees, increases in old-age pension, vouchers for eye care, HPV testing and spectacles and the rehiring of sugar workers sacked by the APNU+AFC.
“Everybody benefitted from the shared prosperity,” he declared.

The prime minister asserted that more programmes will be launched as the government travels to communities to interact with residents.
As the PPP/C government marks its four-year anniversary, the prime minister said it remains focused on the path ahead, committed to realising its vision for a prosperous and united Guyana.
“We are a caring government and we will continue to design policies that will lead to the improvement of the people of Guyana, to improve their lives and livelihoods, to lead to the development of Guyana. That is what the ‘One Guyana’ is all about.”
‘The Journey to Prosperity for All’ is the theme for this year’s anniversary celebrations.