–Minister McCoy says; affirms every citizen will continue to be included in the country’s progress, development

THE government will continue to unite Guyana despite aggressive attempts by the opposition to divide the nation, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy has said.
Minister McCoy emphasised the government’s position and seriousness about building a united Guyana during a recent flag-raising ceremony hosted by the Region Four Regional Democratic Council (RDC) to commemorate the country’s 55th Republic Anniversary.

He said too that the government has not taken the struggles and opportunities over the past 55 years for granted, and under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Guyanese will continue to live a prosperous life.
“We have greater opportunities, but with the opportunities, it still requires prudent management, sensible management, a vision; a vision that will be able to take our country places,” McCoy said.

The minister reflected on the sacrifices made by the nation’s fore parents to ensure that the country is standing upright. One of these sacrifices was to ensure that democracy is alive and kicking.
McCoy said: “[We want to create a country] where democracy thrives, where opportunity is abundant, where unity prevails over division and where no force, no matter how powerful, could ever deny the people their rightful place in their own land.

“It is not something that exists in words alone. It doesn’t, but it must be defended. It must be protected. It must be upheld in every election, in every corner of our country and every institution and every decision that affects the lives of our people. We know all too well the damage that it has done when democracy is undermined and when the will of the people is disregarded, particularly when a few seek to hold on to power at the expense of the many.”

Turning his attention to the blatant attempt by known suspects to steal the will of the people in the 2020 General and Regional Elections, the minister said that this must not be allowed to occur again.
He then said: “Today, in our midst across this country, there are many persons who operated and, in fact, authored the scripts for undemocratic rule for elections rigging and the subversion of our democracy present themselves in a repackaged form and would give the impression that they are the saviors of democracies.”

The minister firmly said that the attempts by the opposition to rebrand itself in spite of its sordid history must be called out.

DIVISIVE ATTEMPTS
Within the past few weeks, the political opposition has been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, and Minister McCoy pointed out how their divisive agenda must be rejected.

For instance, independent minded Afro-Guyanese were subjected to a series of grotesque verbal attacks from the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Co-Leader, David Hinds.
While he has remained unapologetic, key leaders including Minister McCoy has called him out for those disparaging comments.

The minister told citizens: “I say to those individuals that every single individual in this country belong to any group, any political party, any village, any association that they desire in keeping with their constitutional right and they don’t have to subject themselves to an approval of anyone.
“They don’t have to ask permission of anyone to partake in activities and in the whole aspect of national life once their actions are in keeping with law and order.”

He then said: “We must continue to reject those that use racism as a tool. It has no place in our society today… absolutely no place in our society.”
The minister also brought to light the government’s resilience in the face of attempts by opposition-aligned figures to minimise its initiatives.

Clearing up spurious statements surrounding the $100,000 cash grant, the minister said: “The programme doesn’t close down, isn’t going to close down rather tomorrow. It is only going to close when every single Guyanese 18 years and older receive their cheque. Across this country in communities from the East Coast, the East Bank in all of our regions, we have over 200,000 happy Guyanese with their $100,000 cheque in hand and very appreciative too. And the process continues. This is the largest project of this type ever undertaken in the history of our country.”

He also said: “Your government, the People’s Progressive Party government, we operate, first of all, with a vision. We operate with a good level of sense. We operate with integrity. Let me tell you something. We are a government of good character. And it is important to mention that because political parties and governments must also be measured by their character. By what their character represents.”

McCoy said persons have to ensure that all features of transparency and accountability are in place, especially with PPP critics looking for any opening to just pounce at the throat of the government.
Under the previous government, key programmes such as the “Because We Care” cash grant were taken away and over 300 taxes burdened the ordinary Guyanese. However, under the PPP this is not the case.

McCoy said: “We are ensuring that families are not just surviving, but thriving, ensuring that businesses are not just struggling, but expanding and ensuring that the promise of prosperity is not just something spoken about, but something being realised and experienced by every single citizen in our country who dares to dream of a better tomorrow.”