PRESIDENT Irfaan Ali’s rally at Sideline Dam in Stewartville is more than just typical campaign talk. It shows a deep understanding that Region Three has become a testing ground for Guyana’s change.

His call to “crush ignorance” and “crush egotistical gangsters” at the polls highlights the urgent need to protect a development agenda that has significantly shifted the direction of this important region.

The President’s description of Region Three as the “beating heart of Guyana’s transformation” is not just campaign exaggeration; it is backed by real achievements.
The evidence is clear: A new commercial bank in Leonora, modern shopping centres, improved healthcare facilities including the upcoming De Kinderen Hospital, and the new four-lane Demerara River Bridge, which will be toll-free and connected to the Guyana-China Friendship Park. These are real accomplishments that show a government that understands the economic landscape of modern Guyana.

What makes Ali’s leadership stand out is his awareness that Region Three’s strategic location, with its natural resources, agricultural strength, and closeness to major markets like the populated Region Four, needs careful industrial policy.

The Gas-to-Energy project will provide cheaper, more reliable electricity, cutting rates by 50 per cent, and positioning the region as Guyana’s upcoming industrial centre. This is not just a hope; it’s a planned economic strategy that recognises how energy security supports industrial growth.
The President’s reminder of the 2015-2020 period under the APNU+AFC serves as an important reminder. That government’s shutdown of sugar estates and neglect of communities during COVID-19 showed a clear misunderstanding of regional economies.

The difference is striking: While the previous administration caused unemployment and hardship, the current government has created an environment where credit to agriculture rose by 95.6 per cent, and non-performing loans fell to 2.1 per cent—the lowest in the Caribbean.

Ali’s vision goes beyond building infrastructure; it includes improving human development. The completion of 40 community playgrounds last year, with another 20 expected this year, along with three new secondary schools being built, shows a government that realises that economic change needs social support.
The planned $28 million multipurpose facility on Wakenaam Island will make essential government services more accessible to residents, while new farm-to-market roads worth $50 million will increase agricultural productivity.

The President’s call for a strong electoral victory on September 1 is really about continuing his vision. Region Three’s change from a “farm belt to economic powerhouse” serves as a model that can be replicated across Guyana.

His administration’s achievements—free university education, expanded cash transfer programs, and careful infrastructure development—show that promises made are promises kept.
Guyanese voters have a clear decision to make: Stick with proven leadership that has brought real change or risk going back to the economic stagnation and confusion that defined the previous administration. President Ali’s success in Region Three offers a strong plan for national development that deserves public support.