AS our nation marks another milestone in physical infrastructure, the commissioning of the new Cummings Lodge Water Treatment Plant, we are reminded by President Mohamed Irfaan Ali that the true transformation of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana will depend not merely on pipes and pumps, but on people.
In his address, the President declared that churches, mosques, temples and other civic bodies must partner with government to help build “quality citizens” of Guyana.
This move comes amid growing concern over social ills, particularly the proliferation of gambling outlets, the weakening of communal ties and the need for an expanded sense of civic duty beyond mere slogans.
President Ali warned, emphatically: “These entities have a responsibility to start now… If you don’t help to fix it, we will have to fix you.”
The framing of this initiative is significant. On the one hand, the government is signalling that infrastructure is not simply physical roads or water-plants: “Guyana’s transformation is not just about physical infrastructure, but also about nurturing citizens with strong values and moral grounding.”
On the other hand, faith-based institutions are being asked to reclaim their longer-standing role as moral anchors in a society where lives are ever more shaped by social media, economic pressures and rapidly shifting norms.
Guyana is rich with religious and cultural heritage and is lauded for its religious freedom, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and other faiths live side by side.
But as the economy pivots — with oil revenues and increased infrastructural spending– the risk of moral drift grows.
The administration’s plan to target excessive gambling, especially via mobile apps, is because many believe these are eating into household incomes and fragmenting family life.
Furthermore, the government has already committed support to religious institutions, recognising their centrality in community life.
Earlier this year President Ali stated that as the country grows in material and human richness, spiritual and communal richness must keep pace, promising direct resource transfers to religious bodies.
Thus, the current call is not brand new, but rather a deeper turn in a known direction: services and civic infrastructure must be matched by character-building and community cohesion.
At the same time, involvement by faith-based institutions must avoid being purely top-down. Moral and civic renewal thrives when the roots are deep, in homes, schools and neighbourhoods and not only in sermons or policy statements.
The government can provide resources, but the motivating force must be community ownership.
We welcome President Ali’s call for moral renewal. At this juncture of Guyana’s history, with oil revenues, infrastructural expansion, and global interest, now is the time to ensure that growth is accompanied by grounded citizens, who understand the responsibilities of freedom, prosperity and community life.
When the water flows from the new Cummings Lodge Treatment Plant, bringing tangible relief to thousands, let us remember that the pipes carry more than water.
They carry hope, but for that hope to be fulfilled, the spiritual and moral plumbing of our society must be maintained too.
This initiative is a welcome step, but the real test will be what happens next: whether sermons turn into programmes, whether community halls turn into forums of active citizenship and whether young Guyanese see in themselves not just beneficiaries of development, but agents of it.
If we succeed, we will not only build roads and plants, but build citizens of integrity, purpose and care, who will sustain Guyana’s promise long after the contractors leave.