President Donald Ramotar said this new year holds great possibilities for this country but also great challenges, and warned against the politics of blackmail as his administration forges ahead with its development agenda.
In his New Year’s message, Ramotar said how much we will achieve as a nation this year will depend on all of us, noting that: “I am working on the assumption that all of us want to see our country move forward, all of us must want to see poverty eradicated and that Guyana can move quickly to achieving a more developed status in the world. I acknowledge that political obstacles stand in the way of our transformative agenda. I hope that the New Year we can get some cooperation from our colleagues on the other side of the house to move our country forward.”
Accountable
He said if the government was to be held accountable for the performance of “our economy, we reserve the right to be responsible for its developmental trajectory. This right, however, will not be pursued to the exclusion of other forces within the country. We will continue to encourage dialogue, debates, and consultations with all stakeholders, including the people in the communities.”
The president said in 2014, he proposes to conscript social and religious organisations in the fight against domestic violence. “I believe that these organisations should play a leading role in addressing this concern and I wish to incorporate then to reduce this terrible scourge. It is also my wish to see more community and social organisations involved in enhancing our physical environment.”
Growth
A clean environment will contribute to improving the mental and physical health of our citizens and will continue to reduce anti-social behaviour in the population, Ramotar said, noting that his government will continue to pursue more affordable and reliable energy for our country. This is one of the most vital infrastructures for our continued growth and development. With this, Guyana will grow by leaps and bounds, he said.
“I have already mentioned some of the benefits. But those are not all. We can save almost nine billion that we now spend on subsidising electricity. Moreover, even more billions can be saved in the importation of fuel to generate electricity.”
With those savings alone, the nation can solve most of the problems presently facing communities. The benefits, according to him, are enormous “and we will persevere. We will also continue to work with other friendly governments to move forward other important infrastructural works. Two of which we are pursuing are the deepwater harbour and a road from the coast to Lethem in the south. At the moment we are studying the cost/benefits of these projects.”
The president said his administration has to also pursue Information Communication Technology. “This is essential to the whole process of modernisation. It also has great possibilities in creating jobs. You are no doubt aware that last year I joined the executives of Qualfon in turning the sod for their new campus at Eccles which will be one of the largest contact centre facilities in the entire world when it is completed. When completed, 6000 new jobs would be created at that facility to be filled by young Guyanese.”
He said recognising the vast potential of information and communications technology to transform both the economy and individual lives, “we are working to ensure that no home is denied access, through our One Laptop Per Family programme which will see 90,000 laptop computers distributed across the length and breadth of our country. At the same time, we are building the network infrastructure that would enable us to deliver e-government services to all our citizens. Our aim is to ensure that every single Guyanese person is able to acquire computer literacy.”
Meanwhile, other new and emerging sectors are also showing great promise for the future. Tourism and hospitality, in particular, promise to be major contributors to growth in the future, given Guyana’s unique tourism product and given the significant investments being made in the sector. During 2014, he said, they expect to open the spanking new Marriott Hotel in Georgetown, which will dramatically increase capacity and raise standards in the sector.
At the same time, a number of major mineral projects are expected in 2014 to advance exploration activities and commence mine construction, setting the stage for a dramatic increase in activity in that sector. During mine construction, thousands of jobs are expected to be created, and once extraction commences, production and exports would experience increased growth.
Climate change
“Very important, too, is the issue of climate change and the challenges it poses. In recent weeks, we have witnessed extreme weather in Guyana and the wider Caribbean. This has resulted in millions of dollars in damage and loss of life. The scientific evidence is showing that for our region – which is one of the most vulnerable – these weather events will become more frequent as the impacts of global climate change intensify.”
In this regard, Ramotar said he intends in the coming year, to work with other Caricom heads to ensure regional action on climate change is given top priority. “Recognising our own vulnerabilities here in Guyana, efforts will intensify in 2014 to improve and expand infrastructure, in particular, our sea and river defence and drainage and irrigation systems; enhance our forecasting capabilities and response mechanisms, and build climate resilience in the social and productive sectors of our economy. These will be done within the framework of our Low Carbon Development Strategy,” the president assured.
The president stressed that the politics of blackmail will undermine Guyana’s democracy and can lead to further inequality. It will not be a good example for Guyanese, particularly for the youths. “I wish to urge all to let us work together in the interest of our people. Let us be aware that life is short, let us not waste time on pettiness, but focus our energy towards the betterment of our people.”
