…says there is a wide area of satisfaction, citizens very tolerant of his government

CONFIDENT that he will be returned to office come March 2020 when Guyanese go to the polls, President David Granger said his government’s prudent management of the affairs of the country is enough to secure a second term in office.
“I believe that there is a wide area of satisfaction. People are very tolerant; they realise that we have not been able to fulfill all of our promises in these first four years, and my strong feeling is that they will allow us to continue the work we started. They have seen the traces; they have seen the elements of good administration, and they would like us to continue, and that is my view, we will win again,” he said.

At the time, he was being interviewed during Guyana Chronicle’s first Edition of Vantage Point – an online television programme. Elected as President of Guyana in May, 2015, when the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) defeated the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) at the General and Regional Elections, President Granger has been named the presidential candidate for the coalition as it heads into the 2020 elections.

“I have been a good President,” he told the Editor-in-Chief of the Guyana Chronicle, Nigel Williams. His coalition had taken control over the governance of the country at a time when the Local Government System was broken and disparities in the education, health, and infrastructure sectors existed particularly in the interior savannahs and the highland region when compared to the coastland.

“Although there have been some disappointments in the last four years, four months, I am very confident that I will be re-elected,” President Granger said, while noting that Guyanese, in general, are pleased with the progress made in the local government, education, housing, public infrastructure, public telecommunication and public health sectors.

In keeping with the APNU+AFC’s 2015 Manifesto and a commitment by President Granger, local democracy was restored in Guyana. On March 18, 2016, Local Government Elections were held for the first time in 22 years, thereby allowing local leaders on the ground to manage the affairs of their towns and neighbourhoods. It was held again on November 12, 2018 in compliance with the Constitution and the Laws of Guyana.

Resolute that Guyana’s development will not be limited to the coastland, but will extend to all regions of the country, President Granger, over the past four years, commissioned four new capital towns – Lethem, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine); Mabaruma, Barima-Waini (Region One); Bartica, Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven) and Mahdia, Potaro-Siparuni (Region Eight). These towns complement the other six towns – the Capital City, Georgetown; Linden, New Amsterdam, Rose Hall, Corriverton and Anna Regina.
The capital towns are undergoing infrastructural developments. Additionally, greater public services are being offered in those towns as the government forges ahead with its plans to reduce inequalities and decentralise public services.

PETS PROGRAMME
In the education sector, President Granger, in keeping with his government’s policy to ensure that every child attends school, launched the Public Education Transportation Service (PETS) which started as the 3Bs project four years ago. To date, 29 buses, 10 boats and more than 4000 bicycles have been distributed so far under PETS to make it easier for children to attend school.

Additionally, to open up greater opportunities to Indigenous students, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs is consulting with tertiary institutions such as the Carnegie School of Home Economics, Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), Government Technical Institute (GTI), Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC), Burrowes School of Art, the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and even the University of Guyana (UG), on initiatives that can be taken for greater exposure at the community level.

In the interim, the government, last July, commissioned a $186.3M Tertiary Students’ Dormitory at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, as it pushes ahead with its plans to reduce the disparities between the hinterland and coastland through education.
The multimillion-dollar state-of-the-art facility is built to accommodate 120 students – 64 males and 56 females – from the hinterland, who are pursuing tertiary education in various fields at institutions in the capital city – Georgetown. There have also been major developments in the housing, agricultural, health, environment, and telecommunications sectors.

Additionally, under the stewardship of President Granger, Guyana has experienced consistent economic growth. The country’s economic growth for the first six months of 2019 was recorded at four per cent. It is anticipated that the national output will increase by 4.5 per cent by December 31, 2019. This positive growth rate has been attributed, in part, to the measures put in place by government, such as the reduction of the corporate tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent. Importantly, the government, through the Department of Energy, has been putting legislative framework in place to ensure the prudent management of the country’s budding Oil and Gas Sector.

In his quest to move the country forward, President Granger said he will launch a ‘Decade of Development’ in 2020 as Guyana enters a new phase of economic development. During this period, the education system will be reformed to reflect the needs of the new economy, access to information technology and the promotion of social cohesion. It will also see economic expansion, diversification, restructuring, including value-added manufacturing and food security. There will also be focus on energy security and the transition to renewable and clean sources of energy and environmentally sustainable management of our natural resources.