Dear Editor,
MY name is Marvin Wray, a 37-year-old Guyanese man of mixed ethnicity. I have lived and worked in Guyana all my life.
I was born in Albouystown and lived there until I moved out on my own. I am a proud graduate of The Bishops’ High School and hold a certificate from the University of Guyana. I am also a small-business owner, but I have been working from a young age. I sold bread at Bourda Market with my father when he had a stand there.
For most of my adult life, I have been deeply interested in governance and the future of our country. I have voted in every election since I was eligible, always hopeful for better leadership and real change.
I witnessed presidents take office since 2005, including the change in 2015 when I, like many others, believed in the promises of the APNU+AFC coalition. We were told that youth would be involved in decision-making and national development.
That was 10 years ago. Today, I can say without hesitation that I was immediately disappointed. Many youths like myself, whether from the impoverished communities I grew up in or the spaces where professionals gather, were given a harsh dose of reality.
Growing up in Albouystown, we were told that the PPP/C was our enemy, responsible for our struggles. But after the coalition won in 2015, our conditions got worse. There was more unemployment, more crime, and even a 2 AM curfew that hurt vendors, small businesses, and entertainers. None of it came with warning or regard for young people trying to make a living.
We were lied to. Aubrey Norton, who was supposed to advise the President on youth empowerment, took part in a government that told us the job creation they promised while campaigning was not their responsibility, and advised us to sell plantain chips and cook-up on the roadside as a solution to our problems, before then saying, just before they left office that plantain chips and cook-up were not solutions.
That kind of leadership was an insult to our intelligence and our ambition. The coalition hired retirees and expats to run the show, while young Guyanese sat idle. Licences and opportunities went to a few connected individuals, while the rest of us were locked out. They ruled with arrogance, like royalty.
The David Granger government failed us. After they lost in 2020, I began to seriously build my business, GT Brownie Boss. I expected little from whoever would come next but what followed was something very different from the past.
There was an advertisement in the daily newspaper about the Small Business Bureau and all self-employed persons can register and apply for grants and loans as well as free consultation.
I took the chance and I was impressed at the structure and layout of the simple but long process of registering your business, registering for NIS and also most importantly, they offered a free template of a business plan. I didn’t study business at university, and the challenges I faced initially were all remedied in that first initial contact.
The room was filled with young people working diligently and I took that as a sign, that a real, progressive future awaits me and all others who dare to ignore the noise and go find out for myself.
That day I learned how to organise my business and therefore be able to access any project, grant or loan. It is not too late for you to visit the Small Business Bureau and set yourself and your business right!
I see a government that is present, active, and investing in all of us. I see young people in real leadership roles, from President Ali to his Cabinet to all through the public service. I see entrepreneurs like myself accessing grants and growing.
I see new businesses, better roads, new schools, and massive infrastructure like the Heroes’ Highway and the new Ogle to Eccles route, creating limitless possibilities.
I look at Albouystown now, my hometown, and I see a transformation I never imagined. Safer streets, cleaner spaces and real pride returning to the people. Education is now free up to the university level.
The GOAL scholarships are changing lives. Pensioners and persons living with disabilities are receiving the help they deserve. Single mothers are getting social support we could only dream of before 2020.
My business continues to grow because the economy is growing. Young people, opportunities are here. You just need to want a better life and take advantage of the free programmes being offered, such as trade schools and entrepreneurial support.
This is our reality, undeniable and unfolding before our eyes. There is more to be done, but we are on the right path. I encourage all Guyanese to join me as we walk into the future together, in unity and prosperity, by voting for the PPP/C in the 2025 General andvRegional Elections.
Sincerely,
Marvin Wray