THE economic and social landscape of Guyana is experiencing monumental changes. This is manifested in all facets of national life, from the more conspicuous infrastructural works to the consumption of enhanced social services, especially in terms of access to education, health, housing, water and electricity.

No less significant is the increase in disposable income for Guyanese consumers by way of access to job opportunities, income supplements, and government subsidies. This is particularly evident in rural and hinterland communities where thousands of Guyanese were absorbed in the labour market through the government’s part-time employment programme.
This provided a guaranteed minimum income to almost every household, which, hitherto, was unavailable due to lack of employment opportunities. The main beneficiaries of this programme are the unemployed, single-parent mothers, and housewives, many of whom, for the first time, have been placed on a government payroll.

These are all tangible benefits that have impacted positively on the quality of life of the Guyanese people. And even though it is temporary in nature, it provided opportunities for Guyanese, especially unskilled or semi-skilled, to be gainfully employed, and, in the process, making a meaningful contribution to community development.

These interventions by the PPP/C administration to enhance disposable income for the Guyanese people have been taken to a new level with the recent announcement by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali of a cash transfer of $200,000 to every Guyanese household.

This is unquestionably the single biggest cash injection into the pockets of householders, and, by extension, into the national economy, amounting to the whopping sum of 60 billion dollars! Such is the extent of the injection that there are concerns in some quarters as to whether or not the economy has the capacity to absorb that sum of money. Such concerns were, however, put to rest by Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, who, in a recent press conference, said that this policy measure was studied carefully, and gave the assurance that the economy, which currently stands at US$22 billion, has the capability of absorbing the financial injection.

To its credit, the PPP/C administration has been largely successful in mitigating the impact of rising global food prices on Guyanese households. A recent Bank of Guyana report indicated that food prices have increased by 3.2% in the first half of 2024, even though the global economy is still reeling from the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with major disruptions in the supply chain resulting from the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

This cash transfer, significant as it is in its own right, has to be seen against the backdrop of a slew of other policy measures implemented by the PPP/C administration, such as water and electricity subsidies for pensioners, significant increases in old age pensions, and the withdrawal of value-added taxes (VAT) and customs duties on a range of basic consumer items. Several other measures were also put in place to bring relief to the more vulnerable segments of the population, all of which speak to the caring nature of the administration.

Significantly, the announcement of measures to advance the transformational development trajectory of Guyana by President Ali was made in the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly during a special sitting of the 12th Parliament. Indeed, there is a positive correlation between democracy, constitutional governance and the promulgation of sound policies and programmes to advance the national good.

What the country is experiencing at this current stage in its development is a new and changing economic and social landscape, thanks to good governance and visionary leadership on the part of the PPP/C administration.